Never End
by dream7me7to7sleep
Summary: Being a telepathic police detective has its pros and cons. After twenty-five years of isolation and suspicion, Detective Sookie Stackhouse is forced out of her anti-social shell to try and clear her brother's name. Can our favorite Viking show her what she's been hiding from all this time?
1. Chapter 1

Never End

 _A/N: Welcome, everyone, to the first chapter of my newest Eric and Sookie fanfic!_

 _For my new readers: a fair warning before you begin- I do write mature material. Although this chapter is clean, I prefer to let everyone know ahead of time before they get curious or invested in the story. If this offends you, or you are underage to view such material, please hit "back" on your browser now. When I say mature, I mean sexually explicit as well as occasionally running head long into aspects of torture or emotionally distressing circumstances. But relax, I am all about the happy endings! Also, I have a habit of drawing from both the True Blood and SVMN universes when it comes to character personalities, plot points and even architecture! Therefore, it is always good to be a little familiar with both mediums, although this story only uses_ one _plot point from SVMN and True Blood before taking on its own life._

 _Okay, that obligatory warning out of the way, on to my second obligation:_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the characters of Southern Vampire Mystery Novels, nor True Blood. I make no money from these writings! It's all Charlaine and HBO's.**_

 _All that out of the way? All right! Please enjoy the first chapter of Never End, and please allow me this moment to extend my thanks to **msbuffi** for editing, primping and making my writing so beautiful. Thanks to her, I'm super excited to share this first chapter!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter One: Good Night, Sookie**

Sookie grabbed the phone just before it clicked over to voicemail. With a reflexive glance at the caller I.D., she was not surprised when her grandmother's voice spoke to her.

" _Sookie, thank goodness you picked up!"_ Gran said breathlessly.

"What's wrong, Gran?" the young blonde woman asked as she pulled her hair into a tight ponytail before looping it into a rather severe looking bun.

" _It's Jason,"_ the old woman said nervously as if the subject matter were enough to explain the situation.

Sookie grunted, "What has he done now?" She was haphazardly pulling her navy shirt on over the white A-shirt.

" _He's been arrested,"_ Sookie froze halfway down as she buttoned her blouse. _"For murder!"_ The woman's fingers were still clenching the button and the receiving side of the fabric as she remained stock still. _"Sookie? Did you hear me? Are you there?"_

"Yeah, Gran, I'm still here. Tell me absolutely everything you know as quickly as you can. I have to be at the station in thirty minutes."

Her grandmother told Sookie all about the two women who had been found murdered in Bon Temps, whom they were both aware that Jason had known intimately. A clue about vampire bites was enough to get Sookie intrigued. "Okay, Gran, I'll do everything that I can, but you have to keep it quiet. If word got out that I was looking into an active case involving a family member, things could get ugly fast," Sookie explained. "I'll get as much information as I can," she assured before giving a few more calming croons and hanging up. "Stupid fucker," she grunted while she unlocked the safe where her gun was kept, and quickly holstered it.

 _Leave it to my brother to cause me this kind of trouble,_ Sookie thought as she grabbed her keys off of the entryway table of her apartment. She would try and see if she could find some pictures of the murdered women as well as some background information on them. Her German Shepherd sisters watched while she went to the door.

"Be good, Mags! Junes, don't go picking any fights with your sister! Love you, guys," Sookie told them routinely as she went out the door.

Ever since leaving Bon Temps over five years ago to pursue a career with the Shreveport Police Department, Sookie had spent little time back there. Of course, she called her grandmother several times a week and visited at least once a month, but she never wandered into town. Her reputation there was tumultuous at best. Most of the locals were unsettled by her "hyper-perception," and the ones who were not afraid feared whatever problems her position might cause them due to Sookie's appointment as the youngest female detective in Shreveport history. That career move had cost her a couple of friends, one being her own brother when she refused to pull strings to get him out of a DUI. The other friend she had lost was Tara who kept a distance from her telepathic friend for fear of her cousin's, Lafayette, freedom.

It was all for the best, Sookie reasoned to herself on a near-nightly basis. Life was easier without friends or much family. The only person in her hometown who would claim her was her Gran, and Sookie liked it better that way.

There was far less to lose when no one loved you.

"Morning, Detective."

"Hey, Stackhouse."

"Detective Stackhouse."

Sookie waved distractedly at the greetings, going straight to her desk, and ignoring the stack of files sitting on the table. Instead, she hopped online to check into web articles regarding the murders of the women in Bon Temps. She was grateful to see their pictures in the same article with the most recent story about the identical deaths. Once her paperwork was completed, she printed out a copy of the images, and then Sookie left her desk to retrieve the paper.

"What are you up to, Sookie?" _Must be after dark_ , Sookie thought with annoyance.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to use such familiarity when you talk to me, Compton?" Sookie snapped at the vampire. Not even a week ago, William Compton had strolled into the precinct offering his services as a confidential informant concerning Shreveport's vampire bar. Rather than wasting thousands in supplies and man hours on the fruitless raids, Bill had offered to call the police department whenever he witnessed illegal activity.

"But we work together!" Bill tried to laugh in a kindred way.

Folding up the paper she had printed, Sookie pocketed it before turning on Bill. "First off, you are an informant, not a colleague, Compton. As useful as you may prove to be, I trust informants about as far as I can throw them. Secondly, my _actual_ colleagues don't even call me Sookie. They call me Detective. They call me Stackhouse, but unless you're my Gran or my brother, you will _never_ call me Sookie."

"My apologies, _Detective,_ " Sookie's eyebrows rose at the attitude dripping from his voice when he used her title. She had to wonder about the claim of how old this vampire was. He had said he was around 150, though Sookie would have guessed he was adding a digit, and he was actually 15 by the disrespect he showed to authority.

Bill Compton walked away from the detective and Sookie went back to her desk, trying very hard not to roll her eyes at the vampire's actions. Ever since he arrived, Compton had tried on several occasions to ask her out on dates, meetings, get-togethers, or parties. Even if he had not been an informant, Sookie would have still been suspicious of him. No one _dated_ Sookie Stackhouse. She had resigned herself to a life of an old spinster by the age of fourteen; already owning two German shepherds and living in an apartment by herself nearly cemented her preconceived expectations of her life's outcome.

Sitting down at her computer, Sookie read up on the vampire club that had made Shreveport oh-so-famous. It failed to give her an idea about any dress code, but Sookie could assume it was Goth. She already knew that an undercover operative would be out of the question. After her sex trade bust a year ago that had launched her career and earned her the promotion to Detective, Sookie's face had been all over the newspapers. They were all candid shots, but vampires tended to be considerably observant. She could not risk being caught questioning anyone.

Instead, Sookie studied the images of the girls for quite some time, memorizing their faces so she would recognize them in the patrons' heads at the bar. Perhaps someone would remember whom they were with. It really was too bad she could not read vampire minds.

It was quite the trade-off; she had realized back when she was a rookie patrol officer. She had pulled over a dark minivan late one evening, and had turned on the lights. Her first solo night canvassing for moving violations, and she managed to pull over a vampire!

Of course, she had not known that at the time.

When Sookie had approached the car, anticipating some soccer mom's sob story about trying to get to and from the gas station with a secret pack of cigarettes after the kids had finally fallen asleep, she realized that the mind coming from the van was silent.

Her hand had inched towards her hip, greatly unsettled by the vacancy of thoughts, but she resisted touching her gun. After having joined the police force, Sookie had discovered the existence of Weres and realized what all of those red, snarly minds were. Somehow, she really came to like Weres, even though they never admitted what they were and she never asked. Now that she had the knowledge that so many had chosen to be firemen, police officers, and paramedics, it had brought immediate respect toward them.

Sookie tapped on the window of the minivan, not at all surprised to find a blonde woman behind the wheel wearing a Mary Kay pink sweater set. "License and registration, please, Ma'am."

"Mmm, what a delicious lady in uniform," the driver purred at her, and Sookie raised her eyebrows in surprise. _Okay, maybe not the complete run of the mill soccer mom_ , Sookie had thought as she accepted the I.D. and paperwork.

"Do you realize that you were driving 60 in a 40-mile zone, Miss... Ravenscroft?" Sookie had asked.

"I did, but it was not a big deal, right, Officer Stackhouse?" Sookie's brow furrowed at the woman's easy cadence. Most women would be sobbing or screaming at her by now. At least there should have been excuses flying.

"Actually, it's a very big deal. That's twenty miles per hour over the assigned speed limit. Have you been drinking this evening?" Sookie asked, but she knew the blonde speed demon was sober by a complete absence of alcohol's scent or strong aromas of perfumes to mask its presence.

"I wouldn't mind having a drink with you," The driver was practically purring at her. "Would you like to have a drink with me, pretty officer?"

"No thank you, Ma'am," Sookie told her before going back to her cruiser and running Pamela Ravenscroft's record. Finding it clean of any prior moving violations or outstanding warrants, the officer returned to the van and finished writing out the ticket. With a bemused smile, she handed it and her documents to the adventurous soccer mom. "I lowered the speed from reckless endangerment, but it's still a hefty fine."

"Why did you lower it?" the woman asked in surprise.

"Because you didn't whine or make excuses, and even a girl in uniform can be flattered despite whether the interest is mutual or not," Sookie had waved at the soccer mom as she headed back to her cruiser.

It had been almost a year later that vampires had come out of the coffin, and Sookie came to realize that the "soccer mom" had been a vampire, quite possibly, a vampire trying to use "glamour" on her.

Of course, Sookie came to find that the Weres she worked with were becoming increasingly curious about her. They had never seen a human cop be able to pull over a vampire and write a ticket, and Sookie had done so several times. She distinctly remembered hearing one of them think, amusedly, that Sookie had successfully pulled over the Sheriff's child. This had horrified the rookie cop at first, thinking she had given a ticket to one of her colleague's kids. Not that she felt being a cop's child should grant a free pass, but it still had her nervous for weeks.

Sookie's thoughts moved from her first vampire moving violation and returned to researching the club she would be surveilling that night. It was owned and operated by Eric Northman, a name with which Sookie was not unfamiliar. His money made circuits around the police station as well as other strategically placed campaign donations. She had never actually met him though. Some of the cops in the Vampiric Unrest Department as it jokingly was referred to had mumbled about the business vamp. He was short-spoken and to the point, very no-nonsense, and subliminally intimidating. Sookie was not sure what that meant, but to her, it would define him as if he had "dangerous" written all over him, in spite of never actually displaying said "danger" openly.

The detective found it odd that she had never seen a visualization of Eric Northman in the minds of her colleagues. More than a fair share of them knew the vampire and had spoken with him, yet none seemed to dwell on his appearance. Sookie considered the possibility that Eric Northman's appearance would be underwhelming and nothing to really commit to memory.

"You're thinking awfully hard," interrupted Benjamin Trent, a Deputy First Class whom she had gone through cadet training with, as he leaned against her desk. His dark brown hair was cut short enough to leave a baby fine dusting on his rather _moai_ shaped head.

Sookie shook her head. Trent had been the first Were she had come to know, and quite possibly the closest individual she had to a friend anymore. "You've gone on raids with the Unrest Department, right?"

Trent's eyebrows rose comically at her sudden question, "Yeah, once or twice until Northman made that big campaign donation, and 'suddenly'," he threw air quotes around the word, "the Chief and Mayor didn't think there was so much sinnin' going on in Fangtasia."

Sookie scrunched her face thoughtfully, but she was actually focusing quite hard on Trent's own thoughts hoping to glean an image before asking, "Did you ever see Northman?"

"Nah," he said, "He wasn't there the nights I was in on the raids."

"Oh," she replied, disappointed. It would have been nice to know whom she should be looking to see.

"Stackhouse!" her Captain called from across the bullpen. "I need you in Interrogation One."

Sookie rose from her desk and walked toward her Commanding Officer, "What's up, Captain?"

"Missing wife," he began, the red snarls of his thoughts radiating with suspicions. "Got the husband in Interrogation One. She went missing three days ago. Her name's Marla Jacobs. I need you to work your magic, and find out what he knows."

The department had discovered Sookie's talent of hyper-observation and utilized it frequently to obtain information about suspects whom they could not get enough evidence on to warrant a polygraph. Of course, hyper-observation was just the cover Sookie gave for her telepathy, but her colleagues had come to accept and respect her abilities.

"On it, Captain," Sookie told him heading to the room.

Sookie entered the Interrogation room with a grim attitude. She had known the truth even before walking through the door. Mr. Jacobs had killed his wife. Her body was in the bayou, and most likely would never be recovered.

"Good evening, Mr. Jacobs," Sookie greeted with false bubbliness, examining the All-American-Boy in front of her. Daniel Jacobs could not have been more than twenty-four years old, with his ash blond hair parted off center and swept across his tan face. His hazel brown eyes were narrowed into frustrated slits.

Jacobs groaned as yet another cop came into the room to question him. He was fed up with the "good cop, bad cop" game, and just wanted to get home in time to watch the opening game of the Atlanta Braves.

"I don't know where she is. I filed the freakin' missing person's report! Why would I do that if-"

"Well, Mr. Jacobs," Sookie interrupted him, "to be frank, we have many people filing reports on people they know are never coming back. It's actually a common thing, what with bayous full of 'gators ready and willing to destroy evidence," Sookie watched the man's face tighten. "Wow, first guess, right out of the gate, huh? You were so poised before. Sure, you had the anger amped up to hide your tells, but I mention the bayou, and your face went whiter than a flour cake!"

"Listen-"

"No, no, no," Sookie waved off his aggressive tone. "I'm not here to listen. I'm here to watch. Watch every little feature on your face while I figure out how and when you hurt Marla." The telepath vividly saw the man on an airboat to tour the swamps. "Now, the question is, did Marla go with you to the bayou, or did you take her body there?" _**Dark brown hair, almost mahogany in the sunlight. An excited glean in blue gray eyes. A dainty foot in a baby blue Converse stepping onto the landing of the airboat.**_ "I'm going to bet she went there with you," Mr. Jacob's jaw tightened. "Hmm…it looks like I'm right again. How _do_ I do it? Well, if she went with you to the bayou, you must have been going under the guise of touring. So, you would have had to rent a boat. What do you think will happen when I canvas the rental spots with your and Marla's pictures? Do you think someone will recognize you?"

"Lawyer!" he suddenly said.

"That's fine. I have enough to start with," Sookie rose from her seat and left the room.

"Good job, Kid," the Captain patted her back on her way past the Observation Room door. "You'll be the youngest Lieutenant at this rate!"

Sookie smiled distantly when the Captain walked away to start printing handout pictures of the Jacobs' to some of the Field officers to begin the canvassing.

"Lieutenant…," Sookie sighed when she went back to her desk to clear her paperwork and head home.

{†}

"Cop, homeless person, cop, brimstone evangelist... Ugh!" Sookie turned away from her closet in frustration. She had no idea what to wear to Fangtasia! The vampires would know she was a cop the second they saw her, but the humans would be distracted analyzing her if she stood out too much. Sookie knew better than to try and be covert around the Fangtasia vampires. It would be better to be forthcoming, but if she was, then word could get out that she was investigating a case outside of her jurisdiction.

Sookie looked in the closet again. Something she had heard about Eric Northman was that he was a bit of a horndog. Not that she would jeopardize her glorified status as a spinster just to 'pump' the vampire for information, but perhaps standing out just might not be a bad thing, especially if she put her assets, that made her bullet proof vest maddeningly uncomfortable, to good use.

Taking out her red and white flowered dress, Sookie looked at it sadly. She had never worn it before. There had been a moment three years ago when Trent had been thinking about asking her out. Sookie had bought the dress on the pretense of wearing it on their first date. Later that week, Trent met a Were named Jenna, and that was the end of that dream. Trent and Jenna would be celebrating their first wedding anniversary next month.

"Better late than never," Sookie sighed, slipping off her clothes and putting on the dress. She left her hair down and grabbed a red clutch, throwing her badge and off-duty firearm in it. Next, she put on a light layer of make-up, and went down three flights of stairs to her car, knowing she would be walking up those steps barefoot later. She had almost twisted her ankle for every flight of stairs in her red heels.

Putting her purse on the passenger seat, Sookie sat in her blue Toyota for a second taking calming breaths. Once she pulled into the Fangtasia parking lot, there was no going back. If Jason did not forgive her for her lack of assistance with his DUI after this, she would have to call him a lost cause.

The drive was short, and the only sounds in the car were Sookie's calming breaths. For as many times as she had faced danger in the last six years, she had never been more terrified than she was now, not for her safety, but for her career.

"This is stupid. I'm not _investigating_ ," Sookie reasoned with herself. "I'm just checking things out. Looking for reasonable doubt... Investigating," she sighed with resignation. "Whatever! Family first! Jason's not a killer, and I can't let him get railroaded. Driving drunk was his own dumb fault, but this isn't."

Pulling into the parking lot of Fangtasia, Sookie saw a face that took her breath away. Her hair might have been pulled into a severe looking ponytail, and her pearls had been replaced with a spike studded collar, but Sookie recognized the flirty soccer mom instantly.

Getting out of her car, the detective approached the vampire at the front door. "Good evening, Ms. Ravenscroft," Sookie hoped that she might be able to play off this acquaintance to her advantage.

Pam looked at the buxom blond who had approached her. "Well, if it isn't Officer Stackhouse," she purred. "Lovely in uniform _and_ in a dress. Absolutely perfect."

Sookie smiled easily at the vampire. "I thought I recognized you while I was driving past."

Pam tilted her head curiously. "Past? You pulled into the parking lot specifically to come here. I do not mind being flirted with under false pretenses, but do not lie so overtly."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "You gonna let me in?"

"Depends. Are you the narc for a raid?"

"Nope."

"Now that, I believe. Go on in," Pam tilted her head toward the door. "Eric's been chomping at the bit to meet you."

Sookie did not know if she should feel unsettled by that or not. Rather than wilt, she asked coyly, "And why is that?"

"A human who cannot be glamoured? What vampire would not wish to know such a mortal?" Pam shrugged as if this should be obvious. "Go on in."

Attempting to keep her impervious façade, Sookie squared her shoulders and entered the vampire bar with an easy smile on her face. She tried not to revert to her 'Crazy Sookie' smile of adolescence, but it was proving difficult when she realized that she was better known than she had thought. Every vampire she passed looked at her curiously, recognition on all of their faces.

In the center of the bedlam that was Fangtasia's dance floor was a dais hosting a rather impressive-looking chair that Sookie could only think of as a glorified throne. The throne was vacant at the moment, and the telepath humorously considered that Eric Northman was probably a short, unimpressive male who needed a stage to make himself be seen and noticed. _Another hundred-something-year-old child,_ Sookie thought with annoyance.

Going to the bar, Sookie ordered a gin and tonic. Nothing said 'not on the job' like a hard, alcoholic beverage, and the detective wanted nothing more than to assure the population of the club that they were not under surveillance.

"Officer Stackhouse," a smooth voice rumbled near her ear, "or is it 'Detective' now?"

Sookie turned to have her eyes and head needing to tilt far back to see the face of the individual who had spoken to her. Standing before her was an Adonis seen only on GQ magazine covers. His golden hair hung in waves near his chin, his eyes were as blue as the ocean, and he was so tall that the woman needed to take a step back to fully appreciate his stature. Well muscled arms, but a lean, powerful frame wrapped in pale, vampire skin.

"It's Detective now," she said, trying not to sound breathless, but at his smirk she knew that she had failed miserably.

"Shall I call you Detective Stackhouse or Miss Stackhouse then, seeing as you are off duty?" He pointed at her gin and tonic.

"Whichever you prefer," she told him in a response so accommodating that it felt foreign to her.

The vampire tilted his head contemplatively. "Well, given that you are not here on business, I believe I would rather call you Miss Stackhouse. Perhaps we will come to more familiar terms by the end of the evening."

"You seem to have me at a disadvantage, Mr...?"

"Northman," he smiled in a rather disarming way. Delight flickered in his eyes that she did not know who he was on sight.

 _Northman!?_ Sookie reeled momentarily, but kept her face expressionless. He was not at all what she had imagined, although she could definitely see the subliminal danger her colleagues had thought in relation to him. Everything about him, from his frame to the way he held himself screamed 'POWER.'

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Northman," Sookie nodded at him slightly, knowing that vampires preferred not to shake hands.

"I believe the pleasure is all mine," he let loose another impressive purr with his words.

"Are you part-cat, Mr. Northman? You sure seem to purr often," Sookie smirked at him jokingly.

"Most women appreciate it," He grinned right back at her. "A mouth that can make quick vibrations is quite appealing to the ladies." Sookie did not doubt that, but had never considered the enjoyment one could receive from such a technique. Her body responded in a way that she really wished it had not. She could feel her nipples harden, and her hand crossed her chest to rub her arm briskly. "Do not feign cold, Miss Stackhouse. I can smell you thinking of the possibilities," Sookie's face blushed minutely at his observation. "A blushing officer. How sweet."

"Not really," Sookie snapped, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Is it true that you cannot be glamoured?" he asked when he felt her arousal subside with her unease.

"Care to try and find out?" She raised her eyebrows in challenge.

Eric tilted his head in that contemplative way again and Sookie wanted to shake him like a bobble-headed doll. "I have no reason to try. It is rather uncouth to glamour unnecessarily, although I have it on the best authority that you are not able to be taken in by our 'charms'."

"Ms. Ravenscroft."

"Pam," Eric nodded in agreement.

"If she told you, why did you ask?" Sookie demanded though not as sternly as she would have liked.

"I was curious if you were aware of your immunity," he explained.

"Ah, well, I am. That sex trade bust last year made it pretty obvious. A vampire was running that show," she told him irritably.

"Yes, I know. I was looking into the circumstances when you stumbled across him," Eric was maintaining eye contact the entire time he spoke and Sookie felt herself being drawn into the deep, blue pools. Very few dared to look her in the eyes, and she found the unfamiliarity of an unwavering gaze hypnotic.

"Why were you looking into it?" Sookie frowned.

"I rule over the vampires in this particular Area. Human trading has been outlawed in recent years. Of course, we are far more discrete than sirens and flashing lights."

"I pulled fifteen women and five men from that building. What's discrete about that?" Sookie ground out.

"How I would have dealt with Michael would have been much different."

"A slap on the wrists?" Sookie guessed with visible disapproval.

"I cannot discuss the ramifications of such an act. It is a concern of Vampire Law. However, once your human justice system is finished with him, he will have the vampire system to endure next," Eric assured.

Sookie, at last, took a sip of her drink and looked at the sweating glass a moment. "So, you're in charge of the vamps in this area?"

"I am."

"Heard of a couple of murders in Bon Temps?" she asked.

Eric's eyebrows rose at the question. "I did not believe Bon Temps was in Shreveport's jurisdiction?"

"It's not. Why do you think I'm drinking a gin and tonic?" Sookie said pointedly.

Eric gave her an entertained gaze. "I have heard that the women had vampire bites, so, of course, it was brought to my attention. I can assure you their deaths were not related to vampires."

"Not related, or not committed by?" Sookie made him clarify his answer.

The vampire paused before he replied. "Not committed by."

"Do you know what vamps had them?"

Playing with the edge of the napkin on which Sookie's drink rested, Eric answered, "I tasted the one most recently murdered. I cannot say who sampled the first dead girl."

"Her name was Dawn, the one you used."

Eric frowned. "Do you really think it is as one-sided as _using_? I give back plenty for what I get. She gave me her blood, and I gave her my body in repayment. Sometimes it is as simple as a transaction, other times, I might feel compelled to maintain a business arrangement if our encounters are worth it."

Sookie scowled at that. "It's always all business with you vamps," Sookie sucked down the rest of her drink.

"Not always, but most often," Eric defended halfheartedly. "An eternity is a long time, Ms. Stackhouse. One does not commit so easily. Even mortals, in your limited time on this earth, have frequent changes of heart."

Sighing at the turn in conversation, Sookie told him, "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Northman."

"One drink and you are ready to go?" Eric was only moderately surprised. "I feel _used_."

"I have work in the morning."

"In Shreveport or Bon Temps?" he smirked knowingly.

"Shreveport. Dead woman to find."

"If you must find her, how do you know she is dead?" At Sookie's hardened gaze, Eric shrugged as though to say 'I suppose you would know better than I' before offering, "You know, a vampire could be very useful at that, especially if you have a starting point."

Sookie looked at him warily. "I think we'll manage just fine." Picking up her clutch, she said, "Good night, Eric."

"Good night, Sookie."

The woman turned to look at him in surprise, but he was already gone. She had just called a man by his first name. Maybe it was the gin. The vampire at the bar had made her drink pretty strong, and she did not normally imbibe. Maybe it was the simple cadence of their conversation. Maybe it was the fact that she had just been talking to a walking God.

Whatever the reason, Sookie had broken her first commandment. Never get on a first name basis.

Still, she had broken her rule, and Eric had called her by her first name as well.

It was so simple. No underlying messages. No insinuation.

 _Good night, Sookie._

That was all.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of our new adventure! Please review and let me know what you think!**

 **-Andi**


	2. Chapter 2

Never End

 _A/N: Wow, guys! I can't believe the reception you have given this story! I feel honored for all the support and positive reviews already flooding my email. Therefore, I decided to post a day or so earlier than I'd intended as a 'thank you' for all the feedback. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see the lengths some of your reviews were. It's always appreciated to know a story is enjoyed, and extremely helpful when I know **what** was enjoyed. _

_I'm planning on updating this story every Sunday night or Monday morning, although with proper motivation, you all could probably sneak an update out of me a few days early like you did today. I have to pace the releases a little bit, though, otherwise I'll catch up to my prepared chapters and the quality will decline while the wait between chapters lengthens. None of us want that, right?_

 _So, without further ado, please enjoy the new chapter!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Two: Marla**

Waking the next morning, Sookie lay in bed ensconced between the bodies of Mags and Junes. The warm bodies of the German Shepherds snuggly enveloped her. Mags was slighter than her sister, more agile beneath her steel black coat. Junes was heavier-set and sturdier. Powerful muscles loomed threateningly beneath her red and black fur.

A hand flopped onto either side of her body to scratch between Mags' shoulders and Junes' hindquarter. Being encased by the animals while she slept helped to keep the nightmares away, not just the horrible dreams that came from the thoughts of those who shared her building, but the memories of the cases she worked.

Normal cops were haunted by the images of the crime scenes. On more occasions than Sookie wished to recall, she had seen detailed memories of those crimes. She had witnessed enough horrific things in her own time as an officer.

Today she would be seeing yet another haunting memory. Today she would see just what all had become of Marla Jacobs during her second interrogation with the husband.

Crawling out from between her dogs, Sookie went into the bathroom and got ready to start her day. Mags and Junes waited patiently at the door while the detective put her hair up in her usual, smooth ponytail. Clipping the leads onto their collars, she took them for their morning run before coming home to shower and dress for work.

"Good morning, Detective," a few colleagues greeted as she entered the bullpen.

"Mornin'. Any news on Marla Jacobs?" Sookie asked as she locked her firearm in her desk drawer and started to buckle down into the paperwork neglected from the previous day.

"Yeah," answered an older detective named Burns who leaned against her desk, arms over his chest, "we found the rental Jacobs used."

"Did the proprietor confirm whether Marla returned with Jacobs from their tour?" she asked.

"The owner, Jim Guidry, said Jacobs told him Marla went straight to the car when he went to get his collateral back on the airboat. Guidry showed us the vehicle, but confessed he hosed it down like he usually does after a rental is returned. We've got CSI going over it, looking for any biological evidence," Burns updated the younger detective.

"I see. Has Mr. Jacobs come back in for questioning?"

"Not yet."

"Hmm," Sookie hummed to herself thoughtfully.

"I know that face," Burns laughed. "You're suspicious about something."

"Not really suspicious," she murmured. "I'm more _hopeful_." She surprised herself at her admission.

"Hopeful? What, that we'll find evidence?"

"That we'll find Marla," She could not get Eric's comment off of her mind.

"A body would really help."

"I think she might be alive," Sookie rose from her desk and retrieved her gun from the drawer. "Can you give me the address of the rental?"

Burns' jaw slung open in surprise. "Why do you think she's alive?"

Sookie shrugged, "Because I just don't see a guy more worried about a baseball game than keeping a straight face during interrogation taking the time to do a good job murdering his own wife. Jacobs is a lazy, self-loving ass with an ego. I get the feeling he clubbed her and dumped her. If she was only stunned, she might have come to before drowning or getting caught up by a gator."

"That's unreasonably optimistic."

Sookie put her hands on her hips while she looked up at the ceiling. She was quiet a moment, as if contemplating just how unrealistic she was being. Finally she looked back at Burns and laughed, "Well, if I'm not, this job will kill me!"

{†}

Admittedly, Jim Guidry was considerably useless. He could not say for certain whether he had seen the wife, and his memory of Marla returning with her husband was circumstantial. He believed well enough that she had come back, but his memory had poorly fabricated an image of her return rather than genuinely witnessed the event.

"Did you note how much gas they used?"

"Of course. 'Bout half a tank," Guidry offered.

"Mind if I take their boat out?" Sookie asked.

"Be my guest. You're gonna pay the rental, right?"

"Of course," she agreed.

"Then she's all yours. I'll fuel her up."

"Thanks."

Soon, Sookie was pulling away from the dock in the direction that the rental owner remembered the couple departing several days ago. Fortunately, rentals were down this season, and the Jacobs had been Guidry's only customers that week. It was easy enough for him to recall the couple from nearly five days ago.

Coasting the bayou until she had spent about a quarter tank of gas, Sookie killed the engine and listened to the sounds of the swamp. The insects were humming loudly, nearly drowning out the sounds of birds that squawked in the distance. Every so often a wet flop of a gator slapping back into the waters rented the air.

Frowning now, Sookie reached over the swamp with her telepathy, searching for Marla. It was substantially difficult given that she had never met the woman. Her range was also considerably shorter when listening to strangers. Still, in the bayou there were few human minds to listen for and Marla should have been a beacon.

 _Unless she's really dead_ , Sookie thought audaciously.

Starting the engine back up, Sookie went a little further into the swamp. After all, the rental owner had stated they used 'about a half a tank.'

 _Please... Stop... Please... Help... Please... Please... See me…_

Sookie cut the engine swiftly, whirling around.

 _Please... Oh God, please see me!_

"MARLA!?" Sookie called. "MARLA GRANGE!?" she used the woman's maiden name. "HELP ME FIND YOU MARLA!"

A wet plopping sound hit the air, and Sookie spun quickly to see the ripples of a small stick bobbing in the water. Letting her eyes wander above to where the twig must have fallen, the detective saw the drooping limb of a willow; the sallow arms of a woman in its boughs.

"MARLA!" Sookie cried, kicking the engine back on and speeding toward the trees. Checking for any nearby gators before clambering out of the boat, Sookie was scaling the willow soon after. "Marla, how you doin'? I've been lookin' for ya."

 _Are you an angel? Did I finally die?_

"I'm a detective with the Shreveport P.D. We've all been real worried about you, Marla," Sookie assuaged her fears of death. "Are you hurt anywhere? Can you move at all?"

"... Tired..." Sookie had never been happier to hear a person speak.

"Oh, I bet you are," Sookie laughed shakily. "I'm gonna get you outta this tree. You think you can help me?"

Marla shook her head with exhaustion, yet, despite her disbelief at being able to move, she still reached for Sookie. "Don't leave me behind!"

"I won't. You're comin' back with me," Sookie promised, wrapping Marla's arms around her neck. It took a great deal of willpower for the telepath not to cringe at the other woman's contact. Marla was reliving her trauma on a continuous loop, and it was bordering on physical pain for Sookie to remain mentally connected to her memories. "You think you can hold onto me? Don't let go now."

Marla's weak hold tightened only marginally, and Sookie held her tightly with one hand as she scuttled back on the bough toward the base of the tree. Thankfully, Marla had only managed to climb the first row of branches, and as Sookie squirmed toward the trunk, she was close enough to the ground to lower Marla down first before jumping to the swamp floor herself.

"Okay, Marla, I'm gonna pick you up and take you back to the boat," Sookie told her lifting Marla into her arms.

Once the women were safely on the airboat, Sookie radioed back to the rental shop informing the owner to contact paramedics and the police department. She told him to let emergency response know that she had found Marla Jacobs. _Alive._

{†}

"I still can't believe it!" Trent roared, raising his shot glass to Sookie. "All of Louisiana is a big-ass bayou, and you find a missing woman in it on your first trip out!" He clinked his shot glass with Sookie before they each downed their drinks.

"It was luck," Sookie mumbled. "Nothing more than heading off in the right direction and knowing how much fuel I needed to start my search. Marla was hanging out in a tree. She wanted to be found, so she made sure she was visible. That's all."

"Don't talk it down, Stackhouse!" Murphy, a fellow detective, snarled. "That woman's alive because of you. Don't forget that. Especially don't forget to remember this moment as often as possible, 'cause it don't happen often that we find an abused wife alive after a husband decided he wanted her dead."

"I'll remember that," she murmured. "Well, I should be getting home."

"It's not even nine!" Trent complained. "You can't end the party now!"

"Sorry, I have to take care of the dogs," Sookie apologized without sounding apologetic. It was rare that she indulged her department's sense of camaraderie, but she had turned down the offer of barhopping far too many times this month. It would have been suspicious if she had not caved after such an enormous victory. "Have another round for me." She threw down enough money to buy her department another set of drinks and left.

Leaving the bar, Sookie began walking to her apartment which was only half a block up the street. Shortly after being out of the bar's glowing windows, Sookie's back tensed with the sensation of being followed. Preparing for a confrontation, her eyes swept every possible attack point as her hand resisted going to her holster. She had been drinking, and the last thing she wanted was a run-in with IA over discharging her weapon under the influence.

"Sookie," a voice boomed, making the detective cringe as she spun around at the sound of her name. Her hand clenched on the butt of her gun, however; she paused when she saw Bill Compton in the shadows of the alleyway.

"Damn it, Compton!" Sookie snapped, releasing her firearm and closing the catch on her holster. "Haven't you heard of a phone? Who sneaks up on an armed person in the middle of the night?" she demanded. "And don't call me Sookie!"

"Right, right. _Detective,_ " he corrected. "I heard about you finding that missing wife. I thought I would offer to take you out for a drink to celebrate."

Sookie resisted rolling her eyes. "Actually, some of the other officers took me out already. I'm just now heading home."

"So early?"

"Not all of us are vampires. Some of us have _lives,_ " she snarked.

"My apologies for saying so, but I think vampires live more than you do."

Sookie snorted, "You don't know me well enough to say how I live or don't live."

"I know that being a detective at your age and with your gender is not something you came by easily. What else have you sacrificed, Sookie? Friends? Family? Relationships?" Bill closed the distance between them as he spoke, and a flurry of scarlet covered Sookie's face as he nailed down his suspicions. "When's the last time you even had a man, Sookie?" he breathed into her ear. "Don't you want to let go for just a little bit? I'll let go with you." He placed his hands on her waist, gliding his palm up her side. When his mouth tried to capture hers, Sookie jerked her face away.

"I told you not to be so familiar with me," she whispered.

"When's the last time _anyone_ was familiar with you?" Bill asked just as quietly.

As he leaned in once more, Sookie clenched her eyes shut in panic. She had successfully deterred male interest in her for _years_. This sort of advancement was almost unknown to her. Most of the men who noticed her were quickly put off by her scowl or slightly masculine attire. Trent had jokingly told her she had 'Fuck Off' tattooed on her forehead. Why, all of a sudden, was a man trying to seduce her? Why, all of a sudden, was her body frozen? Why, all of a sudden; was she thinking of… Eric Northman!?

"Detective Stackhouse, is he bothering you?" a lilting drawl caused Bill's shoulders to tense as he spun around.

"Ms. Ravenscroft!" Sookie breathed in relief. "No, he was just leaving."

Bill scowled before acknowledging the other vampire. "Pam," he huffed.

"Bill," she said amusedly. Taking her tone as a sign of dismissal, Bill tore off into the dark night. "Has he been a nuisance to you?"

"That's pretty accurate," Sookie mumbled. "What are you doing out this way?"

"My residence is nearby," Pam answered with a shrug. "You?"

"That's my building," Sookie pointed to the corner building on the opposite street.

"Oh, we are practically neighbors," Pam smirked to herself before asking Sookie in a husky tone, "Mind if I come borrow a cup of sugar some time?"

"And what would a vampire need with sugar?" Sookie frowned.

"I could encourage you to lick it off my body," Pam batted her eyelashes at the detective, making the mortal blush deeply. As Sookie sputtered to reply, Pam took pity and changed the subject. "Eric was crowing about you the remainder of last night," she began conversationally.

"I don't see why," she replied confusedly.

"Let's just say that Eric and I have a rather parallel taste in women."

"Oh!" Sookie gasped breathlessly.

Pam pouted playfully at Sookie's response, "And it would seem his parallel wins this time."

"What?"

Pam's pout transformed into a smirk, "When I flirt with you, you flush out of embarrassment. When he flirts with you, you flush out of arousal. It is plain to see who could get you in their bed first. Of course, you were flushing out of anger when Compton had you cornered. You are just one blushing little rose, aren't you? Or do you have a circulatory condition?"

"I'm just," Sookie struggled for a word, "unaccustomed to advances like these."

"Lesbians?" Pam guessed.

"Sex."

Pam snorted. "A beautiful creature like you must have men and women throwing themselves at your feet every few minutes. Why do you feign being unaccustomed to it?"

Sookie gave the vampire a sideways glance. "Because I'm hyper-observant. It unsettles people, and most don't wish to know me. I also carry a badge and a gun."

"Neither of those would keep interested parties out... Unless you wanted it that way?" Pam guessed. "That would explain the 'fuck off' look that is constantly plastered to your face." Sookie snorted. Pam and Trent would get along well.

"Hyper-observation isn't as cool as it sounds. I see everything about a person when I meet them. I see the drunks, druggies, and abusers from a mile away. I see when I'm being lied to. I see when someone wants into my bed rather than my heart. And..." Sookie trailed off, unsure how to explain the conflict created by her telepathy. She might have been content with a one night stand if not for the fact she would have to listen to someone plotting the best way to escape after it was all said and done without any awkwardness or awakening her.

"I see..." Pam observed the woman's persistent blush, and it made a smile tug at her lips. "You do not have many friends, do you, Detective Stackhouse?"

"What makes you say that?" the woman huffed.

"Because that was a rather forthcoming disclosure you just made, and you are a very introverted individual. For you to share such a thing with a stranger like me makes me wonder if you have so few people to talk to that you are spontaneously spilling your guts to me."

Squaring off her shoulders, Sookie responded sharply, "I believe I should be getting home, Ms. Ravenscroft. Please, have a pleasant evening."

Sookie stiffly turned and walked the remaining distance to her apartment before running up three flights of stairs and diving for her dogs like a lifeline.

"Oh, my girls," Sookie mumbled into the dogs' coats as they crowded her as she entered her apartment. "I missed you girls," She hugged and scratched them in turn before changing into her jogging clothes and hooking their leads to the collars.

Down three flights of stairs, Sookie broke into a brisk jog as soon as she, Mags, and Junes were out of the apartment complex. After a quarter of a block, she was running so quickly that Junes was staggering to keep up, and Mags' tongue was flopping ecstatically at finally getting up to her full speed, something Sookie rarely tempted.

Suddenly, as Sookie rounded a corner Mags yelped and back-pedaled while Junes lunged forward, growling between her panting breaths. Sookie, caught in the middle of the sudden change-up was spun around and dragged to the ground by Mags.

"Are you all right, Miss Stackhouse?"

Sookie groaned at the voice connected to the body that had caused the protective and flight instincts of her dogs.

"Mr. Northman," Sookie grumbled, opening her eyes to the giant vampire, "is every vampire I've ever met intent on speaking with me this evening?"

"I do not know what you are talking about," the vampire confessed.

"I've already had conversations with Mr. Compton and Ms. Ravenscroft this evening. Now I am having a conversation with you. That is all the vampires who have ever spoken to me... Well, aside from Grosse, the sex trafficker."

"Hmm, let us hope he does not make an appearance tonight as well. If he did, I would be forced to escort him back to prison."

"Yeah, yeah," Sookie accepted Eric's hand as he offered her help from the ground. He even assisted Sookie in untangling herself from her dogs' leads.

"I heard that you found the woman for whom you were searching. She is alive?"

"Yes," Sookie murmured.

Eric nodded. "I am glad it ended so well."

"It could have been worse," Sookie agreed.

"It is quite impressive that you found her in the bayou."

"Well, Marla's tough and smart. She got herself out of reach of alligators but within view of a rescue party," Sookie pointed out.

The vampire shook his head, "That is not what I meant."

"What did you mean, then?"

"I meant that for you to go into the bayou and find her at all, let alone in three hours, is most impressive."

"I just got lucky."

"It is my belief that people who subscribe all of their accomplishments to luck do not truly believe luck had anything to do with it."

"To what do you attribute your accomplishments?"

"Persistence," he replied offhandedly.

"Fine, then, I was persistent."

"Persistence takes more than a few hours, Miss Stackhouse."

"It doesn't have to."

"True, but it is more fun that way."

"You like the chase."

"Only if what I am chasing is pleasant to look at from behind."

Sookie blushed for some unknown reason. For a strange instance, she believed he might be referring to her, but quickly squashed the idea, despite Pam's warning that it was true.

"Well, enjoy the run," Sookie murmured, getting her dogs to heel so she could sprint once more.

"You as well, Miss Stackhouse," Her eyes widened marginally as a fresh wave of blood flooded her cheeks. "With the dogs," he explained, gesturing to the shepherds.

"R-right. Of course," she mumbled self-consciously.

"Would you like me to run with you?" Eric asked carefully.

"Er... No. Thanks."

"I could trail a little behind," he offered in a raspier voice.

"No, thank you, Eric," she replied breathlessly.

"Another time, then, Sookie."

Just as he had the night before, Eric Northman was gone the next time she blinked.

Finishing her run for the night, much slower this time to Mags' great disappointment, Sookie returned to her apartment in a sort of daze.

She could not remember a time when she had felt so off-center. Were her hormones battling her so fiercely now that even Bill Compton had managed to hasten her breathing?

 _No_ , she reasoned. It had not been Compton or his words that had sent her heart into a frenzy. It had been the thoughts they provoked about a certain tall, broad, blond Eric Northman. When Compton had asked when she had last been familiar with a man, she had thought of how Eric's first name had felt spilling from her lips, and how sexy her name sounded husked by the giant vampire. She had a brief fantasy in that moment, pondering familiarity, where she let Eric into her bed.

Of course the fantasy ended very abruptly once he was laid out in her bed. She knew what would come after they were naked. Her over all absence of any experience at physical intimacy would be made abundantly clear, and Northman would snort dismissively her way. What hundred-something-year-old vampire would want to waste his time teaching a woman how to have sex when she was well into her twenties and should at least have the basic knowledge and mechanics down?

Sookie flopped onto her bed tiredly, curling a pillow under her head as Mags and Junes hopped up to circle thrice, and snuggled up against her stomach and backs of her knees. Both dogs let out simultaneous sighs as they sandwiched their mother, seeming to know she was spending too much time in her head again.

Burrowing her head into her pillow, Sookie contemplated, for the thousandth time in her life, just finding a random stranger and letting him have his way with her. Perhaps if she tried very hard, she could ignore his thoughts while he fucked her. Maybe she would even get a glimpse at pleasure during the act. A one night stand would not be very difficult to find. Sookie was well aware that her appearance could at least attract a single evening of company from a stranger.

Furthermore, if she was willing to chance it, why not go for a vampire? At least their mind would be silent to her. At least she could get lost in her own sensations and not dragged out of arousal by stray thoughts and fantasies of her partner. Maybe she could find a younger vampire that would not be put off by her inexperience?

Sookie groaned at the thought of putting herself in that sort of danger though. She had heard about how unrestrained the young vamps could be. It would be more likely she would suffer injuries if she bedded a fledgling.

Wondering idly if going her entire life without sex would be better than experiencing it even once, Sookie groaned at the longing ache that throbbed through her internal walls. Her body was craving more than usual lately. It screamed and sobbed at the notion of eternal celibacy.

With another exasperated groan, Sookie shimmied onto her back and muttered, "Junes, Mags, go to your crate." The dogs hopped off of the bed obediently, and Sookie pulled the blankets over her body as she wriggled out of her clothes.

When she was naked, Sookie ran her fingers down her neck towards her chest. She squeezed her round breasts firmly before playing halfheartedly at her nipples. Quickly, she grew tired of increasing her tension, and instead plunged her hand down between her thighs for a swift release. The orgasm was pitiful, though better than when she first started allowing herself to masturbate earlier that year. She was becoming more successful at getting herself off. She rarely tired out her hand before cumming these days, but still managed to leave herself in an even worse predicament on occasion.

 _Maybe I should get a vibrator..._ she thought passively while her body longed for another orgasm, but she knew she did not have the endurance, physically or mentally, to provide it.

Lying in bed catching her breath, Sookie waited until her heart and breathing evened out before going to the bathroom and washing herself. When she came back to bed, she was both irritated and amused to find it perfectly dry.

 _I can't even turn myself on enough to leave a wet spot;_ she thought bemusedly as she crawled under the covers once more and summoned her dogs back to bed.

She could not stand masturbating with her dogs in the room. It made her feel as though she was corrupting their innocence. Of course, Mags was currently sniffing at her crotch curiously, so Sookie had to wonder how much innocence they had to begin with.

"Ew, Junes, don't!" Sookie snapped when Junes tried to lick the hand that had previously worked overtime between her owner's thighs. Tucking the tempting hand under her pillow, Sookie rolled onto her side and fell asleep.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review! I'd love to know what all your favorite parts are!**

 **-Andi**


	3. Chapter 3

Never End

 _A/N: Thank you, everyone who reviewed! I greatly enjoyed some of the insight you gave me in regards to your perceptions of the story! It's very amusing when I read some of your hopes or anticipations and have the mental opportunity to think, "Oh, hun, just wait until (insert chapter number here), and you will get your wish!" Of course, sometimes the opposite happens and a story line that is mentioned will not be used. Unfortunately, I am on my fourth story, and_ _Trouble Maker_ _was pretty long, so I try not to recycle story lines too much!_

 _Thanks as always to_ _ **msbuffy**_ _for her stunning work with editing this chapter! You're wonderful, Hun!_

 _Now, on with the chapter!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Three:** **Mr. Northman**

Sookie sat at her desk the next day rummaging through paperwork. She needed to go to the hospital to interview Marla about her husband's attempt on her life, and she was not looking forward to it. Aside from the fact that she would have to inform Mrs. Jacobs that they had not yet apprehended her husband for his attempt at murdering her, there was the added bonus of having to relive Marla's terrified recounting of her experience, complete with mental pictures and genuine emotions potent enough to nauseate her.

It was a tossup as to whether interviewing criminals or victims was worse. On one hand, the victims sent her into a depression while they relived their traumas, inadvertently subjecting Sookie to them. On the other hand, criminals made her feel as if her faith in humanity was being reduced to ashes on a pyre while they delightedly recounted the harm they inflicted upon others.

Either way, her soul suffered even if Sookie had yet to realize this.

A shrill ringing brought Sookie out of her dark thoughts, and she robotically reached for the phone. "Detective Stackhouse," she barked.

" _Sookie Stackhouse?"_ a timid voice asked.

"What can I do for you?"

" _My name is Bobby Burnham. I was instructed by Mr. Northman to contact you,"_ Sookie's body tensed. _"He wanted me to leave you his cell phone number."_

"Why?"

" _I suppose that he was hoping you might be compelled to call him. It's really none of my business; I'm just following his instruction. You can do whatever you wish with the number, just let me recite it."_

Sookie sighed, grabbing her pen. She did not know what obliged her to even take the number down, but she quickly scrawled it out as Bobby spoke it.

" _Have a nice day, Detective."_

Sookie hung up the phone and shoved the post-it into a folder while she returned to her paperwork. Periodically, without willing her eyes to do so they would drift to the folder before snapping back to her work.

Eventually it was time to go to the hospital and interview Marla, and Sookie belatedly realized that she had stuck the post-it in the file. Throughout the interview, Sookie was distracted and her eyes would linger on her untidy handwriting, memorizing the numbers she had written, rather than be attentive and focused on Marla's recounting. Mechanically, Sookie took notes, but mostly let the tape recorder do the work for her.

"Are you all right, Detective Stackhouse?" Marla asked gently, making the other woman look up at her, stunned. "You seem preoccupied."

Sookie shook her head, "No, I'm right here with you, Marla." The telepath berated herself for her lack of sensitivity.

"Hey, if I could, I would daydream about being somewhere other than here," Marla said, gesturing to the walls of the hospital. "You looked like you were having a good daydream."

"I'm sorry, Marla, for being unprofessional."

"It's okay," she smiled distantly. "Sometimes I need to go to my happy place to get away from thinking about that tree..."

Sookie maintained her focus for the remainder of the interview, and just like the fire extinguisher to the head that Marla had received, Sookie's head felt as though it was splitting too. The telepath had seen the graphic recounting of Marla's experience several times while she helped the injured woman out of the drooping willow the previous afternoon.

"You're really strong, you know, Marla," Sookie commented as she packed up.

"Not strong enough," Marla snorted.

"No, even stronger," Sookie argued. "I'm not talking about surviving in the bayou for nearly a week. I mean right now, in this moment... Anyone else would be a catatonic mess. You're very calm, and... Listen, just take care of yourself, and remember that you're strong."

Marla smiled a bit more genuinely and nodded.

{†}

"Hey, Stackhouse," Trent smiled as he leaned against Sookie's desk, "what have you been staring at for the last hour?" He tried to surreptitiously sneak a peek, but Sookie quickly closed the file with the post-it in it.

"Just going over Marla's statement," she dismissed his suspicions.

"I guess this case would be a bit more personal to you seeing as you're the one who found her... Wait! Did you just call her 'Marla'?" Trent was shocked. "I don't think I've ever heard you call anyone by their first name!"

Sookie shrugged. "Like you said, it got a bit personal."

"I guess," She could hear in his head that he was unconvinced by her excuse. However, he mercifully changed the subject. "Hey, you want to hit the bar with me and the guys?" he asked, standing up straighter.

"No thanks. I gotta get home to the girls," she declined.

Trent rolled his eyes. "Those shepherds are like your daughters."

Sookie shrugged again, picking up the file and discretely removing the post-it to tuck into her pocket before placing the file in her drawer. "I'll see you tomorrow," she gave him a wan smile before grabbing her gun from her locked drawer and holstering it.

"Yeah, have a good night," he called as she retreated from the department.

"You too," she responded in kind.

Sookie quickly left the precinct, fumbling for her phone. She could not begin to fathom why the need to call Eric Northman was so strong, but there was no refuting the urge within her ever since receiving his number.

" _Northman,"_ Eric's voice was like hot silk despite the brevity of his greeting.

"Hi, it's Detective Stackhouse," Sookie wanted to face-palm at being so formal.

" _Detective or Miss?"_ Eric asked amusedly.

"Well, I just left the precinct, so I guess it's Miss at the moment."

" _Good evening, Miss Stackhouse. I am surprised you called."_

Sookie bit her lip, "Well, I didn't want you to think Mr. Burnham failed to deliver the message."

" _Is that what this is? A courtesy call?"_ he sounded playfully wounded.

"Umm," she floundered for a reply.

" _So tentative!"_ Eric laughed. _"And you were so quick to quip the other night."_

"I guess I don't know what to say this time around," she replied.

" _You have nothing you wish to say to me this evening?"_

That was a loaded question. Her words ranged from 'how soon can you be in my bed?' to 'have you heard anything in Bon Temps?'

Deciding that work was always a topic she felt strong in discussing, she said, "I was wondering if you heard anything in regard to the homicides in Bon Temps."

Eric sighed in what seemed to be amusement. _"I will be making a visit out there tomorrow actually."_

"Oh. I didn't realize you would go to such lengths."

" _Well, as you are responsible for the safety of humans, I am responsible for the safety of vampires in this Area. If too much whirlwind gets wrapped around the fact that both women were fangbangers, we will have a publicity scandal on our hands, despite the fact that vampires did not commit the murders. That could lead to public outcry and attacks on our kind."_

"I understand what you mean. It's like when a gang member gets killed and there's trace amounts of evidence affiliated with a rival gang. We have to solve it quickly so there aren't any turf wars or retributions."

" _Precisely,"_ Eric paused a moment before asking, _"What are you doing now that you are done with work?"_

"Oh, just going home to feed and walk my dogs," she said conversationally as she got into her car. "I'm about to turn on my car, so the phone might hiccup when the Bluetooth kicks in," she warned him. "Just don't think I hung up on you."

" _I will temper my anxiety."_

Sookie laughed as she turned over her ignition. After a few moments, the in-car speaker kicked in and she chatted with Eric while she drove toward her apartment.

"Do you know Bill Compton?" she asked as she remembered her encounter with him the previous night and how Pam seemingly knew him.

" _I am aware of him, seeing as he resides in my Area. I did not know that you knew him...?"_

"Oh, I thought Pam would have told you. She ran into us talking last night."

" _What were you discussing with Compton?"_

Sookie rolled her eyes. "He's been forward with me, and I was shooting him down for the umpteenth time."

" _I could make him leave you alone if you wished."_

"That would be spectacular."

" _Consider it done."_

"Thanks."

" _What are you doing after your run?"_

"Probably going over some case files, and then going to bed. What are you doing tonight?"

" _Sitting in my office, going over my club's books."_

"Sounds boring."

" _Not nearly as exciting as attempted murder and mayhem,"_ he agreed.

Sookie pondered briefly how easy Eric was to talk with. It felt like forever since she had such a quaint conversation, even talks with Gran were never this lighthearted.

" _If you like, I could keep you company on your run,"_ Eric offered after she had remained silent for a moment.

"No, that's okay. I don't know that my dogs like you very much," she admitted with mild embarrassment.

" _Perhaps they just need to get to know me,_ " he suggested.

"You don't have to come all the way down here. It's nearly ten miles from the club."

" _I am not at the club. I am at my house. It probably would not be much of a detour on my way to Fangtasia."_

"I don't want to keep you from your work."

There was a momentary pause before Eric murmured, _"If I am being too forward, you could just say you do not wish for my company this evening."_

"No, you're not being forward; I just don't want to inconvenience you," How could such a beautiful man want to spend time with her? How could a vampire wish to run alongside a mortal?

" _If it was an inconvenience, I would not have suggested it,"_ He hesitated a moment before offering again, _"May I come keep you company on your run?"_

Tentatively, Sookie accepted, "If you like, I would enjoy that," She gave him her address after that, and then held her breath, awaiting his response.

" _I will see you shortly, then. Goodbye for now, Miss Stackhouse."_

Sookie pulled into a parking space near her apartment as he hung up, and she quickly jumped out of the car, locked it, and ran for her building. Tearing up three flights of steps, she was greeted by her dogs with whimpers and happy tongues.

"Hey, girls," Sookie gave them their obligatory ear rubs as she walked to the kitchen to fill their food bowls. Seeing their water bowls empty, she filled them too, and then ran off to her bedroom to change into her running clothes. "Shoot, shoot, shoot," she mumbled, tossing clothes all around, looking for _one_ pair of sweats that would potentially flatter her figure. When her wardrobe failed to help her impress Eric, she threw on her least ratty pair of sweats and a somewhat fitted t-shirt. She pulled on a new pair of socks and her running shoes before going to the bathroom and fixing her hair into a wild, sloppy bun rather than the smooth, severe one she wore at the office.

Going back to the main room of her apartment, Sookie grabbed her dogs' leashes and hooked them to her before opening her door and locking it behind her. As the door snapped shut, her heart gave a sudden lurch, and she reached for the handle and her chest simultaneously. She had forgotten to put her keys around her neck, and had now locked herself out of her apartment.

"Crap."

Sighing to herself, Sookie went down the three flights of stairs to find Northman leaning against the wall outside. Peeking her head out the front door, she waved at him embarrassedly.

"Sorry, I have to nix the run," she mumbled.

"Why is that?" Eric asked, raising his eyebrows curiously.

"I just locked myself out of my apartment, and now I have to call the landlord to let me back in. That means I have to wait around for him near the building."

"Or I could just let you back in when we return," Eric offered.

Sookie's face frowned at the suggestion, "How would you do that?"

Eric shrugged, "Pick the lock."

"You can do that?"

"Quite easily," he assured.

"Oh, okay. Let's go then."

"Would you like me to take one of your dogs?" Eric asked as he took pace next to Sookie's brisk walk.

"I don't know how either one would like that," she confessed.

"Shall we find out?" Eric offered, holding out his hand.

Sookie thought for a moment before surrendering Junes' lead to the vampire. Junes was the braver of her two dogs, and also the more aggressive. However, Eric was not some fragile human that would throw a lawsuit at her if Junes bit him.

"They seem much more amiable toward me this evening," Eric commented as Junes let him control her without complaint.

"You must have taken them by surprise before," Sookie shrugged, picking up her speed and feeling Eric do the same beside her. "Is it hard to move at this speed? Y'know, 'cause vamps can move so much faster?"

"It is something that we grow accustomed to rather quickly. Before we came out of the coffin, we could not move at our comfortable speeds. Over the past couple of years though it has become awkward to move at this pace again," he explained. "It is easier running beside a human because they can keep me at pace."

When Sookie's speed increased again, Eric listened intently to her heart. "You are in marvelous shape," he commented, and the woman's pulse thrummed faster for a brief moment.

"E-excuse me?" she squeaked, glancing at him out of the side of her widened eyes.

"Your pulse is like a metronome. Even while running, it has barely accelerated, and been quite consistent the entire time," Eric smiled at her flustered expression.

"Thanks," she muttered. "I've never had anyone compliment my athleticism through my heartbeat."

"Well, given your clothing choice, I could not compliment how toned your thighs or bottom are," Eric chuckled.

"Bottom?" She turned her head slightly to raise her eyebrows.

"Rear, posterior?" he offered.

"You could just say 'ass'. No need to be so proper."

"I prefer to only diminish my propriety in the heat of the moment."

"Oh," was all she could say to that. She could not quite understand what he meant, but she reasoned that he did not like sounding crude in casual conversation. That thought made her smile to herself. _A vampire with manners._

"Do you curse often?"Eric asked.

Sookie shrugged, "Not really. Mostly only during interrogations, or if I'm particularly angry. I don't normally get that angry, though."

"I am glad."

She felt compelled to confess, "I did call my brother a stupid fucker the other night though. In my defense, I had just found out he'd been arrested for the murders of those girls. He's always causing me grief."

"Ah, well in that case, the jury will dismiss all allegations in respect to your manners," Eric dead-panned. "It pleases me to know only such circumstances make curses like that pass your lips."

"Why?"

"Women with vulgar language skills disappoint me. It is a wall of defense built around them in the form of off-putting comments."

"Some of us build our walls out of other things," Sookie pointed out.

"What did you build your wall out of?"

Sookie frowned for a moment before replying, "Skepticism and isolation." She glanced at him briefly as he laughed. "What about you?"

"Violence and indifference."

"Are other vampires afraid of you?"

"Quite," he admitted.

"Are you extremely violent? Do you suffer outbursts?" Sookie demanded.

Eric laughed at her questioning, "I am capable of extreme violence; of torture. There is nothing uncontrolled about it, however. I am quite 'Zen' during my moments of violence. After all, the truly dead cannot repay debts." The vampire glanced at the detective to see her reaction. She appeared quite unmoved by his explanation. "In my thousand years, I have been an assassin and inquisitor on thousands of occasions. For me, violence is a tool, not a state of mind."

"You're a thousand years old?" she gasped, her pulse picking up once more.

"Give or take a few decades," he qualified.

"Don't you get bored? You must have done everything by now!"

"Many things are worth doing over and over again," Eric shrugged. "Some centuries find me rather impatient and violent. Other centuries find me particularly gracious and accommodating. Of course, there are also the constant advancements in technology. The leaps and bounds you humans make at times are enough to keep me entertained for a few decades."

"What are some things worth doing again?" Sookie whispered, ignoring the rest of his statement.

Eric thought about her question as well as the hopeful tone of voice she had while asking. Of course, it was obvious there was something she wanted from him. More than likely it was sexual in nature, given her bashfulness, but she seemed to think he would be unwilling to perform it with her.

"Many things," he shrugged. "I have not done monogamy in quite a long time. A little over a century now, actually. A single lover can be even more satisfying than hundreds when they are given the proper amount of attention and patience."

"Are you patient?" Sookie asked quietly.

Eric patted himself on the back for accurately navigating the detective's subconscious. She wanted him, and was doubtful of her skills to please him. "Quite. Especially when dealing with someone eager to please and learn."

"Hmm," Sookie hummed to herself before picking up her speed another degree. Their conversation ended there as the woman ran as fast as she possibly could and was rendered incapable of holding a discussion and supplying enough oxygen to her limbs simultaneously.

When they arrived back at Sookie's apartment complex, Eric followed her inside, up the three flights of stairs, and to her door. Taking a black leather case from the inside of his jacket, he extracted three spring metal tools and quickly picked the lock to her apartment door.

"Wow, that was quick," Sookie mumbled in awe.

"Even difficult things can become quite simple with dedication, patience, and practice," he pointed out.

"Do you enjoy practicing?" Sookie asked quietly, the blush that would have come at her comment was hidden by the rosiness left behind by her run.

Eric did not miss the innuendo, however, and his eyes dilated when he replied, "Very much."

Sookie gripped her dogs' leads tightly in her hand before giving her head a quick shake and saying in a slightly higher voice, "Well, you probably need to get back to your books. Thanks for the workout.. Er... Run... And... Thanks for opening me up," she pointed to the door, and not even her run-flushed cheeks hid the blush that ran all the way down her neck. "And that's my cue to run away," Sookie ran into her apartment, shouting, "Goodnight, Eric!" as she slammed the door in the vampire's face.

"Goodnight, Sookie," she could hear Eric laughing softly to himself as she leaned against her door with horror-widened eyes. Never in her life had she strung together so many poor word choices in such quick succession.

Despite her mortification, however; Sookie had discovered that Eric might not be so resistant to the idea of sex with her, even though she was still a virgin. He definitely seemed to respond to her on a sexual level. There had been no short supply of innuendo and none-too-subtle hinting either. He had expressed his patience in relationships, and even commented about potential monogamy in the future.

Still, even if he seemed clued into her lack of experience, she doubted he could possibly know of its extent. Currently, Eric Northman might believe she just lacked self-assuredness in her sexuality. She seriously doubted that he could comprehend the possibility she had never before even allowed a man to kiss her.

The evening had managed to quell some of her doubts. She felt a bit more secure in her desire to ask Eric to take her to bed, but she had yet to build enough courage to ask. _Maybe I can make a business meeting over it. Keep it formal when I ask. Like a request for department donations._

Even as Sookie showered, entertaining the thought of Eric's face when she made her request, Sookie could not help but smirk. She doubted even he would see her approach coming.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review, everyone! I love the giddy feeling every time my phone gives off that special 'DING' for my ffnet related emails! Yes, I am that lame that my reviews and such have their own email account. What can I say? I greatly dislike false advertising!**

 **-Andi**


	4. Chapter 4

Never End

 _A/N: Another week of impressive reviews **and** it is my favorite holiday today, so I have decided to post a day early as my 'Treat'. Question is: is there a 'trick' mixed into this chapter? Hope you all have a great Halloween. Be safe out there and remember to find yourself a DD (No triple D's please!)_

 _Thank you, as always, to msbuffy, my wonderful editor and friend. Your patience and encouragements mean the world to me._

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Four: Bullet of Destiny**

Eric contemplated the blonde sitting across his desk at Fangtasia. She had called him a little over a week after their run together requesting a meeting with him. Of course, they had spoken every night between their run and now, but this time Sookie made a rather formal request to speak in his office. Eric had to admit he was intrigued.

"What can I do for you, Miss Stackhouse?" Eric asked smoothly, smiling internally while she wiggled in her chair. It was a particular treat to see the normally composed woman so unsettled. There was an approachability to her when she fidgeted.

"I," Sookie bit her lip while a blush crept across her cheeks, "I'm going to say something rather forward. I hope you'll understand that this is difficult for me to say, and I ask that you not judge me on the way I phrase it."

Eric raised his eyebrows, captivated. "Please, continue. The jury has not yet reached their seats."

Looking at the corner of his desk rather than in his eyes, Sookie said in a quiet voice, "I'd like it very much if you would consider having sex with me."

"Is that so?" Eric asked, keeping all traces of his surprise hidden. This was not quite how he saw their seduction game going, but he would not complain about her walls dropping sooner than he had anticipated. "And why, pray tell, are you requesting this of me?"

Sookie gave him another delicious squirm. "Vampires are hard for my hyper-perception to read. Their faces give nothing away. It's easier for me to be around them."

Eric snorted at that, "I do believe we are beyond pretenses, Miss Stackhouse. You can be forthcoming with me. I know that you are actually a telepath. Apparently your confession means that vampires are silent to your gift?"

The woman stared at him in astonishment. "How did you know about...?"

"With modest difficulty, I will admit. I spent a great deal of time in Bon Temps talking to people who knew you. Of course, it was not until I met your grandmother that I discovered the nature of your gift. Which reminds me; I determined who your hometown murderer was. He will be going to turn himself in to the Sheriff of Bon Temps sometime this week. Your brother will be in the clear shortly."

Sookie gawked at the vampire for a moment. "You... You cleared my brother?"

"It was only natural I would stumble upon him while glamouring the inhabitants of such a small town," He shrugged impassively. "Now, if I could divert your attention back to your request..?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh," Sookie blushed again, "well, vampire minds _are_ silent. I think it would be nice to have sex with one... You're the only male vampire I've come to know at all. I thought... I figured it couldn't hurt to ask."

"Quite the opposite of hurt," he agreed. "Am I permitted to sample you while I fulfill your request? You know, I would hate to make you feel like you _used_ me," he alluded to her views on feeding from their very first conversation.

"I guess I could do that. I have a few rules about it though," she told him.

"I am always up for negotiations," he waved for her to go ahead.

"Don't bite me anywhere someone could see, and don't take so much blood that it will leave me weak for work."

"Extremely responsible circumstances," he nodded approvingly. "Now, when, where, and how often would you like me to fuck you?" The vampire did not miss the way her body responded to the word 'fuck'. He watched as her eyes dilated, nipples hardened and thighs clenched.

"Er... How often?" she asked with confusion that fumbled from behind the fog of lust.

"You did not wish to make an arrangement out of it?"

"I thought you only made arrangements with people you'd want to keep around."

"You think I would just let you go once I have had you?" he asked in surprise. "You did not strike me as the type with low self-esteem."

"I'm not very good in bed," she admitted, chagrinned.

"I seriously doubt that," he laughed.

Sookie sighed, realizing she should warn him. "I don't have any experience. I can hardly masturbate properly."

Eric's eyebrows rose infinitesimally again. "You are a virgin?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm."

"I understand if that changes your mind about agreeing to my request," Sookie mumbled.

"Oh no, I am certainly going to take you up on your offer," he assured. "I do have a few questions for you though."

"Go ahead."

"What would you say about me training you?" It was Sookie's turn to raise her eyebrows. "Perhaps that was a rather intimidating word. It makes it sound like you would be a pet or something. Let me try again," He cleared his throat, rearranging his words. "What would you say to me teaching you about your body, and along the way, you learn about mine?"

Sookie played with her hair girlishly as she stared at the strands to avoid looking at him. "I-I can stop whenever I want, right?"

"Of course. This is an arrangement between two consenting adults, after all."

"Would I have to do anything weird?"

"First," he chuckled, "define weird. Secondly, you do not _have_ to do anything. I might suggest something outside your realm of comfort, but I will never _do_ it to you without your consent. Just be careful if you ever use the phrase 'surprise me'."

"I guess I'll have to tell you if something's weird when you ask me about it. Although there may be times I might have to ask what it is you're asking me to do," she admitted. "Can you just not put anything up my butt?" she mumbled shyly.

Eric tilted his head curiously, "A virgin and already frightened of anal sex?"

"I'm a little frightened of everything related to sex," she confessed.

"Why is that?"

Sookie shrugged weakly, "I'm a telepath. I've seen scary, horrible things. I've seen people remembering doing stuff they didn't want to do, but doing it anyway because they were afraid of being abandoned."

"I see," Eric frowned. "Well, I will not _abandon_ you. If our arrangement needs to end, you will be well notified."

"Okay," she murmured, rising from her chair.

"Where are you going?" he asked at her sudden urge for departure.

"Er... I thought that was the end of the meeting..?"

Eric rose from his chair, came to her side, and took Sookie's hand in his. "Would you mind very much if I took a brief tour? I would be greatly interested in preparing myself for our future encounters."

"I-I guess that's okay," she whispered, a fresh wave of blood blossoming under her cheeks.

"Would you prefer me to examine you on the desk or the couch?" he asked, gesturing to the two pieces of furniture.

"E-examine?" she whispered, though it sounded more like a squeak at an octave higher.

At her terrified voice, Eric smiled. Apparently her nerves had destroyed their game of formality. "I want to see your body, and test your sensitivity," he explained. Placing his hands at the top button of her blouse, he asked, "May I?"

"Y-yes," she whispered, turning her face away as he began to unbutton her blouse.

"Do not look away, Miss Stackhouse," Eric chastised gently. "You asked for me, now do not make me feel as though I am taking what has not been offered."

Sookie brought her gaze back to the vampire before her, concentrating on her breathing, not the hungry, blue gaze that was consuming every inch of flesh he was exposing.

Once her shirt was open, Eric pushed it from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Next, he knelt before her, untying her shoe laces and slipping the boots from her feet along with her socks. When he rose back up to his feet, he unbuttoned and unzipped the fly of her jeans before pushing them off her hips, and then down her legs where she shakily stepped out of them.

"Go sit on the couch," he instructed as he left her side and went to lock his office door. Before joining her on the leather couch, he went to his desk and paged Pam. "I will be busy for the time being. Do not interrupt me for anything until I page you again."

" _Yes, Master,"_ Pam's voice responded quickly, and Eric disengaged the intercom before turning back to Sookie.

"Now, Miss Stackhouse, where were we?" He sauntered over to the sofa and kneeled down in front of her legs. Sookie was surprised to find that their faces were level in this position.

"Umm," she mumbled, trying to force herself to maintain eye contact.

"Tell me what sort of physical relationships you have had."

"None really," she told him shyly.

"Have you been kissed before?"

"No," she breathed.

"Not at all?"

"Just family. On the cheek or forehead," she elaborated.

"Then no one has touched you here either," he placed a hand over her breast, making her breath hitch, "except you?"

Sookie could only nod.

"Are they sensitive?" he asked, squeezing her gently and finding her nipple quickly hardening beneath his palm. When he pinched the bud Sookie let out a soft sound, encouraging him to pinch a bit harder and earning a wail. "Quite sensitive," he murmured to himself. "Are you ticklish?" he asked, ghosting his fingertips down her ribs and earning a wriggle. "A little bit, it seems."

"Eric," she groaned his name.

"Yes, Sookie?"

"What are you doing to me?" she panted.

"I am merely learning the very basics of your body. Why? What is this doing to you?" he asked quietly.

"It's making me very wet," she admitted.

"Oh?" He could smell her arousal, yet it was hardly permeating the air. Reaching between her thighs, he ran his thumb over her panties between her nether lips. He felt Sookie's body go rigid as if resisting the urge to wriggle away. Frowning at the lackluster amount of heat he found, his thumb circumnavigated the elastic of her panties and dipped between her folds earning a sharp gasp and small shimmy. Her arousal was only just starting. "This is 'very wet'?" he asked in veiled concern.

"Mmm hmm," she whimpered.

"Oh, Miss Stackhouse, do you not know your own body at all?"

"What do you mean?" she gasped as his thumb gathered some of her moisture and glided against her clit.

"This is a very early stage of arousal, a stage that can be met merely by encountering someone you desire. Do you feel the urge to pleasure yourself when you are only this excited?"

"Very much," She jerked when his thumb flicked her clit again, forcing a soft cry from her mouth.

"It is not all that surprising that you have trouble making yourself climax if you are going full throttle with such underwhelming preparation. I expect your orgasms are not very satisfying."

"Not at all," she agreed.

"Do you want me to give you a satisfying orgasm?" he asked carefully.

"Y-yes please!" she gasped.

Eric's hand slipped from her panties and grabbed her hips to pull her to the edge of the couch. When her back left the cushion, he reached up to unhook her bra, spilling the plentiful bounty of her bosom. Instinctively, Sookie crossed her arms over her chest, but Eric's hands halted the action.

"You do not need to hide, Sookie. You are beautiful. Your breasts are mouthwatering," Biting her lip once again as her blush migrated down her neck, Sookie let her arms drop rigidly to her side. "Lift your bottom," he instructed so he could remove her panties. She obliged slowly, trying her hardest to rein in her modesty.

"C-Can you..." her request trailed off.

"Can I what, Sookie?" he asked gently.

"Umm, can you take off your shirt? I feel underdressed."

"I can remove it all if you want me to even the playing field," he offered.

"J-just your shirt will be fine."

Eric tilted his head curiously at her before asking, "Are you afraid of my cock, Sookie?" Her eyes darted away as she hid her face behind a veil of hair. "Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully, "this is rather disconcerting. Why are you scared of what you want?"

In a moment of complete clarity and honesty, Sookie replied, "Most of the things I want end up hurting me."

"I see," Eric murmured to himself. "What is something you wanted that hurt you?"

"It's personal."

"So is this," he pointed out, rubbing her thigh.

"It's just sex."

"Not for you."

Sookie stared at him, wide-eyed and vulnerable. "D-does that mean our arrangement won't work?"

"No, our arrangement will work just fine, but I will have to temper my attitude about it."

"How do you mean?"

Smiling at her, he explained, "I mean that your needs will be in a rather turbulent state of fluctuation. You do not know what you want or need, and as you discover those things, I will need to fill those wants and needs, and then later abandon them as they no longer apply. There will be times when you will demand my attention and cling to me. There might be times when you want very little to do with me. Eventually your wants and needs will become more concrete, and we can fall into a much more discernible pattern."

"I don't understand," she admitted with a wary shake of her head.

"Do not preoccupy yourself with it. Just keep me privy to what does and does not work for you. Remember, I know what I am doing, and I have already accepted the responsibility of teaching you. Where these lessons lead us should not be a burden."

"Okay," she said hesitantly.

"Now," Eric grinned up at her, "shall I continue your first lesson?"

"I'm not really turned on anymore," she mumbled.

"Do not worry, Lover," Eric purred, removing his shirt, "I can get you back there in a moment." Reaching for her face, the vampire brought her mouth to his in a soft kiss. After a moment, he brushed his tongue against her lower lip and Sookie pressed eagerly against his tongue. "Just mirror me," he encouraged before tracing her lip again. When Sookie's tongue poked out, he quickly tangled it with his own until he was chasing it back into her mouth. He explored the hot cavern, sweeping and coaxing her tongue to dance with his.

Eventually he pulled away to allow her room to breathe, but kept kissing along her jaw to her throat. He felt her pulse quicken as he lightly suckled the skin protecting her carotid, nibbling with his blunt teeth before moving towards her breasts.

His right hand took possession of her left breast as his mouth claimed the right. He squeezed, suckled, nuzzled, and pinched the impressive globes until Sookie panted under his ministrations. The scent of her arousal perfumed the air around him, and Eric murmured against her skin, " _This_ is being turned on, but your pussy can get much wetter."

Sookie moaned at his words, arching into his mouth and hand. She could feel her body slide against the leather of his couch while her hips tilted; surprised that she was actually producing enough lubrication to achieve this.

"Eric," she gasped when he gave a slightly harder tug with his teeth on her nipple.

Switching breasts, his left hand took her right breast and his mouth took the left, repeating the ministrations on the twin. By the time he began kissing down her torso, the woman's hips were rocking in anticipation.

"Do you usually move your hips when you masturbate?" Eric asked curiously.

"No, that's new," she whispered heatedly.

Eric chuckled as he let his tongue dip into the well of her bellybutton. He continued kissing down her body before diverting to her thigh. Similar to her breasts, one hand massaged a thigh while his mouth nibbled and kissed the other before switching sides again. When he spread them wide, he was greeted by the sight of her weeping sex.

"Oh yes," he hissed passionately, " _that_ is a hungry pussy." His thumb ran up and down her gash, the sound of her sticky fluids noisily kissing his digit. "Do you hear that, Lover?" he asked, continuing to illicit the sound of smacking lips from her folds.

"Uh huh," she moaned affirmatively.

"That is the sound of a pussy that wants to be touched," She whimpered as his finger dipped inside of her hole, and keened when it curled within her. "Hmm," he kissed the inside of her thigh as he hummed thoughtfully to himself again, "you are remarkably intact for a woman your age."

"Intact?" she panted as he rocked his finger inside of her.

"Your hymen, Lover. Have you never put anything in here?" he asked, still moving his hand and nibbling her thigh between conversations.

"Just tampons," she told him, her fingers trying to find purchase on the smooth leather of the couch.

"Not even your fingers?" he asked in surprise.

"I tried that once, but it hurt."

"Does this hurt?"

"NO!" she arched as she assured him. "It feels _really good_."

"Did you use any lubrication?"

"Just some spit."

Eric chuckled at that. "You probably were not wet enough to make it feel good like this," he explained. "Now, how about I give you that real orgasm I promised?"

Sookie whimpered, "Yes, please," nodding her head jerkily in anticipation. She felt ready to explode at any moment, never having been so easily on the cusp of orgasm before. Normally she was rubbing herself frantically to get anywhere near this close. Now she lingered on the edge, body primed, and showing no signs of dissolving away from arousal.

Enveloping her clit with his lips, Eric flicked his tongue softly against the swollen nub, making Sookie's hips twitch with every caress. Flattening his tongue and taking all encompassing laps at the pleasure point, he tried to slide a second finger into her channel and was delighted to find her tightness attempting to reject his advances. Still, her body succumbed like it should and a second digit was soon slipping inside of her.

"Umm, umm," Sookie whimpered, sounding apprehensive. Eric's eyes darted to meet hers, and he could see the surprise and fear across her face.

"You can cum, Sookie," he encouraged. "Do not be afraid of it."

His mouth descended to her sex again and he increased his tempo marginally, forcing the woman off the ledge from where she herself could not jump. Her response was awe-inspiring. Her hands clutched his hair, her back arched like a bow, and the most delicious scream rang from her throat as her inner walls tried to crush his fingers. As her climax reached its crescendo, Eric turned his mouth against her thigh and punctured it with his fangs to draw a sweet mouthful of crimson elixir.

At the bite, Eric felt her orgasm recycle, and another cry tore past her lips. Licking the wound he had inflicted, Eric pondered the flavor of her blood while resisting the urge to sneak another sample. In his thousand years, he had never met a human who tasted so delicate, sweet, soft, and mildly intoxicating. Nothing as intense as the Fae, but certainly a delicacy.

As Sookie slumped against the couch attempting to catch her breath, Eric rose from his knees and lifted her enough so he could place her head in his lap and comb the fingers of his free hand through her hair while licking his other hand clean.

A flavor such as hers was covetable. Every instinct of the vampire in him wanted nothing more than to keep her for himself and be the only creature to ever enjoy her splendor, not just the fine quality of her blood, but her responsive body as well.

"I wish to make some additional adjustments to our agreement," Eric murmured when her breathing had calmed.

"Oh," Sookie's body tightened guardedly, covering herself the best she could with her arms and legs, "did you change your mind?"

Eric looked at her in surprise, "Not at all, I only wish to make some conditions."

"After that, I'm open to negotiations that let me have it again," she smirked to herself as she nuzzled against his thigh.

"I wish for you not to allow another to touch you, and by granting me that, I will extend the same courtesy. I will only fuck and feed from you so long as our arrangement is active," It was a modest sacrifice for him, but one entirely worth making to keep her just for him.

"So we'd be monogamous friends with benefits?" Sookie asked, making Eric laugh.

"Yes, something like that."

"I can agree to that," she whispered. "Is that a thing? Monogamous friends with benefits, that is?"

Eric thought for a moment. "Actually, I believe this is called a 'relationship'," he laughed. "A superficial one, but still a relationship."

Sookie nodded in understanding. "I think that's all I'll really want anyway."

"Why is that?" Eric asked curiously, twirling a lock of hair around his finger. He did not believe her resolve for a moment. She was too inexperienced to realize how unlikely it would be for her to keep her heart out of their relationship, an unlikelihood that Eric was banking on.

"Because it will hurt less when it ends."

"What is this preoccupation with things ending?" Eric frowned.

"Everything ends, you know."

"Sometimes things become more. An aspect of a situation can end without the entirety being lost."

"I'm just used to being left behind," she told him.

"I see," was his reply.

Sookie looked around the room at her scattered clothes and asked, "Were you going to have sex with me tonight?"

"No," Eric smiled, "I think I will save that for an evening where you do not work the following day. I would hate to overexert you before you return to upholding the law."

"Oh, well, when crime happens, I'm working," Sookie told him. "Mostly, though, weekends are the only safe bet I have at not being in the precinct."

"What made you want to be a police detective, Sookie?"

The woman's body tensed momentarily before she shrugged, "I wanted to protect people."

"That sounds like a PR response."

Sookie sighed and sat up, raising her head from his lap. The look in her eyes was enough warning before she gave a verbal one. "Are you sure you want to go down this road, Northman?" The inquiry might have been imposing if she had not been stark naked.

"Knowing you is very important to me, Miss Stackhouse."

Turning her head away, Sookie spoke to the wall. "My great uncle was sexually abusing my cousin from the time she was three years old until she was nine. I was seven when I found out. I didn't know what I was seeing back then. Her head was all confused and scared. All I knew was he was hurting the girl who was like a big sister to me. I told him to leave Hadley alone, to stop hurting her. He hit me and said if I ever told anyone about Hadley, he'd do much worse to me than he ever did to her. That night he raped and beat Hadley right in front of me just to make his point. I told our Gran. She called the police on him, and when they searched his house they found all kinds of terrible things. Tapes of him raping Hadley, pictures of other kids. Pictures of Hadley's mother when she was a girl..." Sookie shook her head to dispel the memory. "I realized then that I had the power to help people. It was my duty to put my quirk to good use, the best use I could." Placing her chin in her hands, she said, "Hadley ran away when she was thirteen. We never saw her again."

Eric was quiet a moment before he asked, "Do you enjoy what you do?"

Sookie thought for a moment, "It's all I really ever knew I wanted to do."

"But not for yourself," he did not ask.

"What's the difference?"

Eric's eyes widened at the question. "Lover, it makes you miserable!"

"Sometimes Destiny is a bullet. It has a sure line, predetermined, destroying anything that comes in its path to get to its target. I was born a Bullet of Destiny. My life was decided when I found a purpose for all of the insanity around me." She held out her hand, counting off the holy trinity that carved the path for her career choice, "The insanity of my quirk. The insanity of my overwhelming losses. The insanity of my uncle and cousin... This destiny I've been fired through is the only true certainty I've ever known, so what is the difference between what my telepathy has aimed me toward, and what I may have wanted if I did not have my telepathy? It's a pointless effort to yearn for things that will never be within your reach."

"Does it have any appeal to you whatsoever?" he pressed.

"I save lives with my quirk."

"At what cost to you?"

"I don't understand what you mean," she admitted.

"Sookie, you look into the minds of some of the most disturbed and violent humans. You see their crimes from their perspectives _every day_. You do not see how damaging it can be?"

"I guess I've always ignored it."

"Ignored it!" he rasped in disbelief. "Sookie, by the things I have learned from you tonight, you are anything _but_ ignorant, except about yourself. At the age of seven you witnessed the inner workings of a pedophile and his abuse of your cousin. Today you are terrified of sex. That was nearly twenty years ago. You speak of things only ending, never beginning or lasting. This life is sucking you dry. You are terrified to want, terrified to _live_."

"Those are the things I know, Eric," she whispered. "I know abandonment, disloyalty, death, violence... I only have one lasting scrap of unconditional love, and that's my Gran. She's eighty-three, Eric, and she will die someday, and I will finally be always alone."

Rising from the couch, Sookie went about the office, finding her clothes and redressing herself. Once she had her shoes on, Sookie reached for the door and unlocked it. Before departing she murmured, "Hopefully I haven't sent you running. I had a good time tonight, and I still want to have that relationship we talked about." With that, she left his office.

Eric watched the woman leave, and all he could see was a broken little girl who had glued the pieces of her life back together into a warped, semi-functioning heap. As that broken life crumbled from its adhesive, she could not even manage to leave the debris behind; she merely picked it up and continued carrying her burden.

So unassuming and cautious.

So fierce in accepting her fate.

So, so broken.

In an instant, Eric wanted to make everything better for her. He wanted to show her that she would never be alone. He wanted to prove that some things did not have to end.

Picking up his phone, Eric left a quick message for his dayman, and then sat down in his office chair.

Eric thought for a moment.

Sookie was strong-willed, calculating, isolated, and completely oblivious to the fact that she was worthy of anything. She was like an island rich with natural resources that she allowed to be stripped away by visitors, and gladly consented to being made barren by their greed so long as she believed that they were helped by her sacrifice.

What was worse! She endured constant psychological abuse and did not even recognize it! She had turned herself into the world's punching bag, and could not even admit that it was a strain upon her!

Her duality was mind boggling. Intense and sharp-tongued one moment, and then self-conscious and hesitant the next. Eric noticed, however, that the second part was only common when she was the topic or subject under discussion.

Eric considered how to help her see that she deserved far better than she believed. He considered the relationship he was starting, knowing it was far less than he wished it to be. Though he knew that she would come to the realization that she could not separate sex from love at some point, Eric found himself quite impatient for that time to come.

There was the added bonus of Sookie potentially rejecting her feelings for him out of blind fear and insecurity. She had spent so many years building her impenetrable walls, and Eric knew that he could not just come barreling through her blockade. Not only did he need to keep her from panicking and turning from him, he also had to find a way that she would be comfortable and at ease with him.

The questions were now, ' _H_ _ow do I get her to accept me?'_ and _'How do I become someone acceptable?'_

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Things are getting a little sexy, but is Sookie going to run to or from the Viking now that he knows just how broken she is? Ball's in your court, Eric! Please remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	5. Chapter 5

Never End

 _A/N: So, in response to breaking 100 reviews in a mere four chapters- I wanted to give you all a special treat as a thank you! Yes, you are still getting your weekend chapter on Sunday, otherwise this wouldn't be a treat, right? Your support means the world to me, and I love when I have the opportunity to spoil people!_

 _As always, thanks to msbuffy for her editing prowess, comical relief, and being such a dear friend._

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Five: Admiring**

Sookie grumbled to herself while she returned to her desk after going to the vending machine only to be forced to walk clear across the plaza for a bag of pretzels because the machine nearest to her department was out of order. On top of that, she needed to make another appointment to speak with Marla in order to attempt gleaning any possible locations where her husband may have fled. By the time she returned to her desk, her captain, two lieutenants, a detective, and Trent were perched over her work station like a kettle of hovering vultures.

"Who are they from?" Lieutenant Somnar hissed.

"Trent, did she say something to you?" Captain Kleinman asked excitedly.

"It has to be some sort of threat," Detective Murphy growled.

"Can't she just be a girl with a boyfriend? Stackhouse is private; she wouldn't go spouting about a boyfriend to us," Trent laughed at Murphy's deduction.

Sookie approached the cluster of men quietly. "What's going on?"

All five men spun around, returning guilty looks her way while she watched Lieutenant Hartmann try to discretely place a small note card back into a rather impressive vase of red roses.

"Flowers for you," Murphy grumbled, his eyes widening as Sookie's face paled instantly. "You don't know who sent them to you?" he asked in alarm.

Sookie reached out shakily for the note that Hartmann had failed to conceal. "What does it say?"

"Dunno," all five men mumbled, and looked away, suddenly finding floors, walls, and ceilings more fascinating than the roses on her desk were a few minutes ago.

She would have laughed at their act, but her heart was pounding. _Who would send me flowers? Was Murphy right? Is this a threat?_ She quickly began thinking of all the criminals she had assisted in locking up, wondering who had recently been considered for parole. _I need to check my little black book._ Rather than listings of old flames, Sookie's book catalogued several felons with reminders about impending releases.

Bringing the card to her face, Sookie read it quickly, causing her heart to slam frantically against her ribs.

~ _Not running – E_

 _E?_

Her galloping heart hiccuped suddenly, and Sookie's bloodless face immediately flushed crimson as she understood the meaning of the note. _Eric._ He was not scared off by her. She was going to spend more time with him. She was going to feel _more_ of him. She was-

 _Oh My God, Detective Stackhouse is biting her lip!_ Hartmann thought in alarm.

 _She's blushing_ ; Trent's mind was a burst of surprise.

 _Dear, God, is she panting?_ Murphy seemed moderately offended by her reaction.

 _Good for her,_ her captain's thoughts shocked her most of all.

"Er," Sookie mumbled, fumbling awkwardly with the note, "just... umm..." She did not know what to say. Any word would be too much information. Her face had already been far too telling. Part of her wanted to be angry at Eric for embarrassing her in front of her colleagues, but another side of her argued that the flower arrangement was not over the top. Had she not been such a romantically inept individual, the gesture may not have been so vastly intriguing for her co-workers. Still, even after the congregation around her desk had broken up, Sookie could not look at the vase without flushing timidly.

At the end of the day, Sookie walked out of the precinct with her floral arrangement hugged to her chest and set it gently in her car before calling Eric.

" _Northman,"_ he greeted in his usual fashion although he now knew her phone number when she called.

"The flowers were from you, right?" she blurted out in slight panic.

" _Of course they were from me. You do not have a secret admirer I need to hunt down, correct?"_ Eric laughed.

Sitting in her silent car, Sookie shuffled with the card that had come with her flowers. "They're very pretty," she murmured.

" _I apologize for having them sent to your office that way. I know you are not open to your private world meshing with your professional world."_

"That's true, but I can appreciate an occasional gesture like that... One of my colleagues thought the roses were some sort of threat," she admitted with a chuckle. "Actually, I thought they were for a second, too."

" _Hmm, I suppose 'Not running' could be construed as a threat. However, I wanted to assuage your parting remark last night as well as not give away too much information in the note in the event others read it."_

"Oh, they did. You can't send flowers into a room full of investigators without someone snooping. It's like putting a pile of sugar next to an ant hill."

Eric laughed for a bit, _"Were you planning on leaving your work parking lot any time soon? You should have been here by now, and I have not even heard your engine start."_

"I should be where by now?"

" _Home."_

"Are you at my _apartment_?" Sookie gasped in surprise.

" _I am."_

"Why!?"

" _It is Friday."_

Sookie froze for a split-second at the realization that it was, indeed, Friday. Her hands scrabbled for her keys, dropping them twice on the car floor before scraping them into the ignition. "My Bluetooth's about to kick on," she warned breathlessly, making the vampire laugh.

" _Excited, are we?"_ he asked once the phone kicked over to her in car speaker.

"Umm," she mumbled, trying to think of how to respond. She _was_ excited. Terrified, too. What he had done to her the previous night had her body responding strongly to the memory, and she wondered at what degree of arousal Eric would label her in that moment. Personally, she would have been tempted to rub herself at this point were it not for the fact there was an all too willing vampire waiting at her apartment to do that for her. "Shoot!"

" _What?"_

"I have to take care of Mags and Junes when I get home," she fretted, passing a truck that had the nerve to go the speed limit and keeping her from being in bed with Eric that much sooner.

" _I have already seen to your dogs,"_ Eric assured. _"That trick about cutting a measuring cup to the proper food portion is quite clever. Very simple for someone to feed them in your absence."_

"How did you get in my apartment?" Sookie frowned, remembering that vampires needed to be invited by the resident before they could enter.

" _I pick locks, remember?"_

"Who invited you?" she clarified.

" _I convinced your landlord to do that. There are always tricks to these things and many available opportunities when people reside in apartments."_ A cold shiver went down Sookie's spine at that knowledge. _"Have I overstepped?"_

"No... Well, yes, but I don't mind. You're saving me time that I'd rather be spending with you," she assured. "Although, I'm thinking I may buy a house now."

Eric chuckled at that. _"I could find you a good deal on a modest two bedroom. I am quite passable in real estate."_

"I'll think about that... Eric, vampires have a good nose, right?"

" _Yes,"_ he chortled. _"Why?"_

"Did you smell anyone else in my apartment?"

" _Admittedly, your dogs mask a bit of the scent, but I did notice a few old scents... Should they not be here?"_

Sookie pondered for a moment, trying to remember the last time she had Gran over. "How old?"

" _About two weeks... Maybe a bit longer. As I said, the dogs obscure the scent."_ Sookie held her breath a moment. _"Should this scent not be here?"_

"Is it a vampire scent?" Sookie asked in a whisper.

" _It is."_

Exhaling a long breath, she told him, "No, it shouldn't be there. Why would you think it should be?"

" _I thought you might have come in close contact with a vampire on the streets or at work and the scent had lingered. That sort of thing happens from time to time."_

"Not that close a contact," Sookie grumbled.

" _I will deal with it."_

"How?"

" _I know this scent. It is not an issue."_

"Are you sure?"

" _Absolutely. If he were to come again, he would smell me and run for the hills."_

"Is it Compton?"

Eric paused a moment. _"No... Why did you believe it was him? How do you know him?"_

"I can't say how I know him, but I thought it was him because he's been reading several books I've recently finished," she explained. "It made me suspicious."

" _Would they be those Dan Brown books?"_

"Yes."

" _They were quite entertaining. A bit too conspiracy theory for my general interest, but good."_ Sookie pulled into her parking space and cut her engine. _"It seems I will see you in a moment, Lover. Do not keep me waiting long."_ Eric hung up the phone and Sookie sat in her car in silence, staring out the windshield as she took a personal inventory of her physique.

She had hit the station's gym late in her shift and grabbed a shower afterward, so she knew she would smell rather clean. She knew she would be using the gym that day, so she had shaved that morning. Reaching into her glove box she grabbed her tin of Ice Breakers and popped one before looking in the rearview mirror and running her index finger briskly over her teeth to dislodge any plaque that might have accumulated. They were surprisingly smooth considering it was now evening. Pulling out her hair tie, she smoothed out the notch the elastic had created, her hair still slightly damp from her post workout shower. Thankfully, it would dry wavy and not leave a noticeable dent in the flow of her hair.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman grabbed her duffle bag out of the passenger seat and climbed out of her car. When she reached the front door of her apartment, she could barely keep from nearly running full speed up the stairs to her personal residence. Before she could reach for the handle, a sense of unease filled her.

Was she ready to do this with Eric Northman? She had only known him for little more than a week. Of course, she had waited a quarter century to _want_ to do this with any man. Still, part of her insisted on berating her flippant attitude. Quickly, Sookie squashed that concern by reminding herself that Eric had agreed to prolong their arrangement, asserting that their evening would not be the one night stand Sookie had always predicted for her first time.

 _Just suck it up, Stackhouse!_ Sookie snapped to herself and opened the door.

Mags and Junes jumped at her excitedly, "My girls!" Sookie squealed as she always did when she returned home, dropping her duffle, and wrapping an arm around the middle of each dog as she nuzzled against their furry bodies.

"They are very well trained," Eric commented, leaning against her breakfast bar. "How old are they?"

"Seven. They're sisters," Sookie told him as Junes lapped under her jaw happily.

"How old were they when you got them?"

"Eight weeks. I got them as a graduation present to myself. I only intended to get one, but they were the last two in their litter. I couldn't make myself leave one behind."

"How did you come up with their names?"

"Oh!" Sookie laughed as Mags leaned into her, nearly toppling Sookie. "Magnolia and Juniper. Mags and Junes for short."

Eric smiled. "Very pretty names."

"Thanks," Sookie rose from her crouch and fiddled with her car keys a moment. "So, umm, what do we do now?"

Eric shrugged. "That is up to you. Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No," she told him.

"Did you have food here? Would you like me to take you for food?"

"I usually grab take-out on Fridays," she explained.

"But not tonight?"

Sookie fumbled with her keys some more. "I forgot it was Friday, and then you called and... I was anxious to get home."

"The good anxious, I hope."

Sookie smiled bashfully, hiding behind her hair. "Yes, the good anxious."

Eric returned her smile and closed the distance between them. "Would you like to eat later, then, Ms. Stackhouse?" Sookie nodded slowly, losing herself in his gaze. "Would you like me to take you to your bedroom?"

"Er, it's kind of a mess," she admitted in embarrassment.

"I kind of straightened up a little while I was waiting," he admitted as well.

Sookie took that moment to look around. She noted that her magazines were in a tidy pile on the coffee table that appeared wiped down, and the dishes were done and drying on the rack. Thankfully, Sookie left very few dishes in the sink, usually only from breakfast, and she was extremely grateful that last night had been a 'clean the bathroom' night.

"You cleaned my apartment?" Sookie gaped.

"Straightened up. You are quite meticulously clean. I would not have said your bedroom was a mess." At her expression, the vampire blanched, "And I overstepped again. I promise that I did not actively snoop around your apartment. That is not a reassurance meant in lieu of an apology. I do apologize."

Sookie tilted her head, absorbing his expression. He seemed uncharacteristically nervous. _I make him nervous? Me!?_ "Oh, then, apology accepted, and, umm, I would like you to take me to the bedroom," she mumbled.

Eric closed the distance between them and lifted Sookie into his arms before carrying her toward her room down the short hallway. When the dogs tried to follow, Sookie murmured a half-hearted, "Stay," before Eric captured her mouth with his and closed the door behind them.

Setting her on the bed, Eric promptly stripped off his shirt and tossed it to the floor before reclaiming her lips and leaning her back against the mattress. "I thought you might appreciate me keeping the nudity better balanced this time," he teased.

"How considerate," she gasped against his mouth when his hands gently tickled her sides. One of those hands came to tangle in her hair, holding her face steady as he kissed her deeply. "Is this all right, Eric?" she asked tentatively, placing a hand on his chest.

Eric smiled against her mouth. "You may touch me anywhere and however you like, Sookie."

"I want you to enjoy yourself, too," she murmured uncertainly.

"They are your hands touching me. I will enjoy myself," he reassured her.

Empowered by his statement, Sookie let her other hand join her exploration of his torso. She began memorizing the lines of his hard muscles, impressed by the prominence of his obliques more so than his washboard abs where so many gym rats focused.

"What were you when you were human?" Sookie mumbled into his mouth. Eric disengaged their lips to look at her curiously, wondering what had brought that question to her mind. "Your obliques are really toned. I only see that on fitness coaches and body builders."

Enlightened, Eric chuckled and told her, "I was a Viking. Lots of physical training and battles."

"Oh," She pulled his face back to hers, her legs wrapping around his waist while her hand ran from his sternum to his neck and back again.

Surprised that his former life still did not give her any pause for contemplation, Eric returned his focus to kissing her, allowing his own hands to roam over her body. When her curious fingers found his nipple and tugged on it, Eric responded by squeezing her breast with equal force. Sookie hissed into his mouth in response, but he was aware of the pleasure behind the sound.

Frenzied by her passionate noise, Eric grabbed the tail of her shirt and began pulling it from her body, and then reached behind her and unhooked her bra to expose her breasts. His mouth descended on one rosy peak while his hand cupped the other. He paid them far greater attention this evening than he had the previous, and by the time he was kissing down her belly, Sookie was rocking her hips excitedly.

"Oh, yes, please," she crooned when he loosened her pants and shoved them, along with her panties, off of her legs. He damned her boots when he had to pause briefly to unlace them, but he quickly had her boots and socks tossed across the room. Grabbing her by the ankles, Eric yanked her hips to the edge of the bed and shoved her thighs apart before encasing her womanhood with his mouth, "OH YES!"

Eric bit back a groan as he took his first taste of her that evening. "You are much more aroused than you were when I got to this point last night," he pointed out.

"Mmm, really?" she asked, tangling her fingers in his hair as she arched against the caress of his tongue.

Eric's reply was a moan while his tongue wriggled between her folds to taste more of her essence. After getting a momentary fill, he replaced his tongue with a finger, slowly working it into her hole. "Let me know if anything hurts," he murmured before placing his lips over her clit and sucking it into his mouth. Sookie jerked at the action, but then flinched when her motion drove his finger in too deeply.

"Ah, that kinda hurt," she told him breathlessly.

Eric frowned slightly at her admission. "That may be slightly problematic."

"Why?" she asked anxiously.

"Normally I can deflower a woman painlessly. Your hymen seems a bit stubborn," he laughed slightly. "I am sorry, Lover, but I might not be able to keep all the bite out of it."

Sookie snorted. "Bite."

Eric chuckled as well before returning to pleasuring her. Under usual circumstances, he would not have broken a woman's concentration while he was seeing to her, but Sookie Stackhouse was not quite normal. He _had_ to know his boundaries, especially after breaching boundaries twice already, and he _had_ to make her aware of inevitable little pains. Although she mostly spoke of emotional pain being inevitable for her, he knew that physical ones could cause similar reactions.

Sookie was far too dependent on keeping herself in control, and Eric had to ease her into relinquishing that power to him. It was a line he had to navigate carefully, for it swayed either direction quite drastically depending on the circumstance.

"Do you... Do you, umm, sleep with a lot of virgins?" Sookie asked quietly.

"I have slept with many virgins, but it is not a _hobby_ ," Eric smirked up at her. "Over the course of my existence, fair amounts have crawled into my lap."

"Is that why you weren't turned off by me being one?" Her voice was so soft, so uncertain, that Eric felt encouraged to ease her self-consciousness.

Slowing down his movements, Eric began conversationally, "There are perks to bedding virgins. There is extreme pleasure in the wonder they experience learning about their bodies. It is particularly fulfilling if they have had my blood because I can share, marginally, in that wonder."

"What does your blood do?" she wiggled impatiently at his slow-moving pace.

"It allows me to feel what they feel on a small level. Of course, there are other side effects to our blood."

"Yeah, it gets people high."

Eric chuckled, "In certain dosages, yes, but my blood is old and strong. I could feel you with only a drop of my blood in your mouth. I doubt you would approve of me knowing where you are at all times though, or knowing what you feel at all times. I doubt you would want me invading your dreams..."

"You already do," she whispered.

"Is that so?" He smirked.

"Would that be something...you want?"

Eric's eyes dilated considerably at the hint of an offer in her voice. "Very much," he husked in response.

"Just a drop?"

"Just a drop."

"And it won't get me high?"

Eric chortled, "No, Lover, you will not get high. It will arouse you further, but that is all."

"It won't show up on a drug test, right?"

"Undetectable," he assured.

"Okay."

"You are certain?"

"Yeah. If I can't be good in bed, at least you can enjoy me enjoying myself."

Eric sighed at her comment, mildly irritated. "Stop that."

"What?"

"Doubting yourself. You are not unappealing, Sookie. You are beautiful and desirable. You are feisty and strong. At this point, I want to fuck you just so when I fill you with my cum and roar in your ear, you realize how true all of that is!"

Sookie panted at his assertion, not merely because the thought of him cumming inside of her was strangely arousing, but because his irritation with her had subconsciously sped up the movement of his hand. Now he was pumping a second finger into her, and she wriggled against the delicious pressure it had built inside of her.

"Give me your blood, Eric," she gasped for breath.

Eric moaned at her command. It was the first declarative statement she had made without blushing, stammering, or 'umm'ing that was related to sex.

Bringing the middle finger of his free hand to his mouth, he unleashed his fangs and lanced the digit, letting it heal and only leaving a droplet of blood on his fingertip. Reaching up her body, he placed his finger in her parted lips, preening when she moaned at his flavor. She suckled his finger rhythmically, not realizing there was no longer a wound from where to draw more blood. While she reflexively swallowed, he felt a blossoming heat in his body as her emotional presence began to flow within him.

Humming to himself as he basked in the new sensations, Eric removed his finger from her lips allowing it to trail down her body until his thumb hovered over her clit. The adroit digit quickly found pace with the fingers pumping inside of her, and he felt her inner walls flex threateningly around him.

"Ah, ah," Eric chastised, "you cannot cum yet."

Sookie whimpered when he ceased stimulating her clit. "Why not?" she whined.

"Because I need to get one more finger in here before you tighten up like that," he told her with taunting nibbles along her thigh.

"I don't think another one's gonna fit," she panicked. "I already feel full."

"You need to take three before I can put my cock in here, Sookie."

"Why?" She wriggled, but Eric could feel her discomfort as a third finger tried to bargain its way inside of her.

"Because otherwise my cock will not fit comfortably for you," At the terrified jolt in his connection with her, Eric smiled and soothed her, "Do not worry, Lover, it will fit. I know what I am doing, remember?" He placed his mouth over her clit and began suckling it slowly, rhythmically, until he felt her walls give in to his third finger. Once they were rocking painlessly inside of her, he sped up his tempo and murmured, " _Now_ you can come," as he brought her to a swift, hard orgasm.

"Ah," Sookie choked on her cry, digging her short nails into his scalp.

While she rode out her climax, Eric quickly removed his pants, and then built a good amount of saliva into his mouth to spit onto the fingers pumping into her. The motion worked the fluid deep inside her hole, but Eric did not do this for the unnecessary lubrication. Aside from coagulants, vampire saliva also had mild anesthetic properties that would alleviate the pinch of her hymen rupturing.

As the flexing of her internal walls began to abate, Eric slid the head of his cock against her entrance above his immobilized fingers.

"Last chance to change your mind, Sookie," Eric murmured.

Sookie shook her head as she bit down on her lip. "Uh uh! Do it!"

Chuckling, Eric slowly withdrew his fingers while replacing their absence with his hard member. He watched Sookie's face scrunch up at the sensation, and listened while her heart accelerated with excitement.

"That's not much bigger than your fingers," she reasoned.

"This is the narrowest part," he warned, resisting a laugh when her hands clenched in the bedding apprehensively. "Just get used to this, Sookie," he encouraged, rocking back and forth, penetrating her shallowly, and enjoying the short little moans she made in rhythm with his movements. "This is not so scary, right?" She shook her head, assuring him that it was not frightening at all.

"Can you go any deeper?" she asked quietly.

"Much deeper, but that is the part that could hurt for a little bit. Are you ready for that?" he asked carefully.

Sookie nodded, reaching her arms around his neck to pull his mouth to hers. Obliging her silent request to be kissed, Eric tangled his tongue with hers, letting Sookie become lost in the carnal movements of their bodies before shifting his weight to push deeper inside of her. When his girth stretched her, he felt Sookie's hips instinctively jerk back, but his hands were there, holding them in place while he drove past her maidenhead, refraining from slamming in to the hilt.

Her knees clamped tightly around his hips, keeping Eric still as she gasped against his mouth. "I will be still, Lover. You can relax. Are you all right?"

Sookie nodded slowly. "It didn't hurt too much. It was more like pressure... I don't know how to describe it," she admitted. The sensation had caused an impulsive reaction in her heart, like falling through ice or missing a step on the stairs. Neither of those things hurt, but her heart and lungs reacted as though she could have died.

"It is all right, Sookie. There is no need to cry," Eric's thumb brushed just beneath her eye, and she felt the chill of the moisture there being swept away.

"I'm sorry," she gasped. "I don't know why-"

"Shh," Eric could recognize her relief far better than she could. "It was not as terrifying as you thought it would be. You are relieved. That is all. Eighteen years of nightmares about this moment, and it was not scary at all," he crooned in her ear, kissing her cheek.

A single deep sob broke past her lips and Sookie hugged him tighter to her body. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep crying."

"I know," He smiled into her hair. "I also know why you are doing it, and that is fine. You can cry if it is what you need."

"No," she sniffed, "I think I need you to move."

Eric smirked. "In or out?"

"You can go _deeper_?" she gasped.

In a moment of comedic relief, Eric reached between their bodies and felt the remainder of his shaft not yet buried inside of her. "I have about another four inches I can give you."

Sookie's eyes widened at his confession. "Yes, please?"

Grinning down at her, Eric eased the remainder of the way inside of her, feeling her panic and slight flinch when he filled her entirely.

"Did that hurt?" he asked in concern, reaching between their bodies to play with her clit. It had not felt as though he struck her cervix. She had seemed so soft and compliant that he believed her body would stretch properly. Still, he instinctively stimulated her clit to fuel her arousal and soften her womb to his advances. Sookie rolled her hips in response to the attention.

"Uh uh," she shook her head, "just different. I kinda jumped 'cause I expected it to hurt when you were all the way in. I didn't think it would all fit without hurting."

"I told you to trust me," Eric teased, pulling his hips back slowly, and then rocking them back and forth before filling to the hilt once more.

"Ohh!" she let out a deep moan at the collision. "Do that again!" He did so and she choked, "mmm, again!" He pulled back a little further than before and he felt her walls flex around him and she shouted, "Oh! Right there!"

Laughter in his voice, Eric told her, "You are quite sensitive, you know? Already you can feel my thickest portion in the right spot even though my dimensions are quite consistent. Your tight, little pussy can feel everything!" He began rocking his hips in short movements, dragging the thickest part of his member against the most sensitive part of her entrance. After a few moments she was sobbing and wiggling beneath him. Her hands reached for him, feeling every part of his body they could reach while her knees hugged his hips. Eventually her hands discovered his rear, and she grasped it earnestly as she bucked, rocked, and rolled her hips.

She was driving him mad, from the vice-like walls to the telling flutters, from the scorching heat to the flood of juices. He felt as if he would burst into flames inside of her and be perfectly content meeting his true end so long as it was with his cock buried all the way in her depths.

"Eric, Eric, I-I'm," he felt a glimmer of panic in her and this surprised him.

"You can cum, Lover," he whispered. "I am right there with you."

With a passionate wail, her back arched off of the bed, and her hands squeezed his ass so that her stubby nails left short lived crescents in his flesh. As she cried out, Eric buried his face in her throat, resisting the urge to bite and cause a mutual exchange. Instead, he snarled violently and thrust recklessly within her as he felt his body release and drain into her inviting channel.

As she sucked in air greedily, Eric peppered her flesh with kisses. "I will be sending you flowers every day for that, Lover," he murmured between the caresses of his lips. "Please say you agree to only be with me. You would destroy any man less capable than me!"

Sookie giggled at his words, holding him tightly to her body. "If you stay right here for a while, I might let you be with me again in a bit."

"I will stay buried in you until dawn if it means having you again," he assured.

Sookie rolled her eyes. "C'mon, it couldn't have been _that_ good for you. Unless you're actually talking about how you were feeling what I feel, 'cause then you'd be feeling yourself... So maybe it was that good... It was pretty spectacular for me."

"Absolutely _ignorant_ about yourself! That is what you are!" Eric accused playfully. "The only human woman I have fucked that was as responsive as you, I had to train for damned near a decade to become that way."

Eyebrows shooting towards her hairline, Sookie gaped and asked, "You can _teach_ someone to be responsive?"

"Of course. It is all about sensitivity training, but your body is already quite sensitized. It is a miracle you get anything done at all."

"Oh, well... I'm not used to being touched. My telepathy is stronger when I'm touching someone. Unbearable a great deal of the time," she explained. "That's why I got my dogs before I moved to Shreveport. I can hug them when I'm feeling alone and they curl up with me at night. They sit with me on the couch," Sookie shrugged as she explained. "Gran's the only person I've ever let hug me, and she wasn't coming with me to Shreveport."

"What about your brother?"

"Oh, _God,_ no!" Sookie made a face. "His mind is all sorts of 'nope'. I would probably gag if he hugged me just because of what he would be thinking about."

Eric chuckled, but also pondered her response. "How do you think your life would be different if you were not born a telepath?"

Sookie shrugged. "I have no way of knowing. That's like asking me how I think my life would be different if I were born blind."

"Good point," Eric nodded. "What do you think you would do if you woke up tomorrow and were no longer telepathic?"

"That's the same question. I have no way of knowing, and no reason to speculate. It's only gotten stronger as I've gotten older. I have serious doubts it'll just disappear after all this time."

"It has gotten stronger?"

"Yeah, my range for familiar voices grew larger. I actually have to focus to find someone farther off though. I can delve into memories a bit now, but only memories linked to the current thought."

"Explain, please."

Sookie sighed as she thought about how to describe her abilities. "Okay," she began, "there are key words you can say to someone that link several memories together that are unrelated, except by that word. Sometimes those key words open tandem memories too. Like, if I said cookies, and the person I'm investigating thinks of their mother baking cookies, which is linked to a memory of the oven, linked to being burned, to burning houses, to burning someone inside of a house, to killing their wife, to their wife ranting that he lost another job, to... You see how deep it can get from the word 'cookies'?" she asked. "The subject isn't _thinking_ about all these things. They're just thinking about cookies, but all of those memories are linked either in tandem like I just described, or by the single word. So if I said cookies and they thought about Girl Scout cookies, cookies and cream, or Cookie Monster, any memories linked either by tandem or parallel are available to me. Parallel is better because it's easier to sift through than tandem. Tandem can tell me more, but it takes a long time to go through all of the branches. It would be super obvious something was up with me if I followed tandem memories very often." Sookie wiggled slightly against her partner and draped her leg over his hip as he rolled them onto their sides. "Sometimes I use both together. I'll start with a parallel, and if there's a distressing parallel word, I'll follow the tandem memories. Like if I'm interviewing a guy about a child abduction, and the first parallel he draws off of "cookies" is Girl Scout cookies, sometimes I might follow the tandem memories of the Girl Scout to see if he has inappropriate memories of little girls."

"That sounds exhausting."

"It can be," she admitted. "Of course, I don't usually have to get that in depth. Most of the time, people see a badge, and the first thing they do is think about all the things they've done wrong to receive a visit from us, or a visit to the station." She laughed at a few memories of such incidents.

They lay together on their sides, hands caressing one another's bodies in silence, listening to the dogs in the living room fighting over who got to lay on the end of the couch Sookie usually leaned against.

"Can I ask you something about sex?" Sookie murmured after a few minutes.

"You may ask me anything you wish," he encouraged.

Biting her lip, she blushed and asked, "How often can we do this?"

Eric smirked, "As often as you like. I could come to your apartment every night after you get home from work and before I go to Fangtasia. I could fuck you until you need to get ready for bed. Hell, I will feed and walk your dogs _every night_ just so I can have you that much sooner!"

"Do you think we could walk my dogs together?"

Eric's smirk softened into a smile, "Anything you want, Sookie." He glanced away, seeming almost shy himself before saying, "Friday night to Sunday night... You could spend at my place, just so I would not have to leave you before the dawn comes."

"What about my dogs?"

"I do not mind if you brought them, so long as they do not piss all over my house. But, they seem like well trained animals, and I have my doubts they would inconvenience me so."

"They wouldn't. They're real ladies."

"I have a house on a little over an acre of land. They would have plenty of room to run around, assuming you trust them to come back when they are called."

"They would," she murmured. "What about Fangtasia?"

"What about it?"

"Aren't you, like, an attraction there or something? Shouldn't you be there on the weekends?"

"I own the bar, Sookie, and it is hardly my only means of income. I could close it tomorrow and replenish the losses in a fortnight."

"Are you serious?" She gaped in surprise.

"Dead serious."

She rolled her eyes at his pun. "So, you'd let me stay in your house with you on the weekends? Are you sure you trust me to be there during the day when you're vulnerable?"

"Who better to protect me while I rest than a woman who is an off duty detective packing a Glock 22?" he countered.

"What if I'm just trying to lull you into a false sense of security and snoop around your house for evidence?" she teased.

Eric's eyes narrowed playfully. "I guess I would just have to trust that you care more about how well I can fuck you than you care about the law."

"What are laws again?"

He grinned at her reply and kissed her forehead happily. "Does that mean you will come back to my house with me?"

"Tonight?"

"Yes, please," he mimicked her usual response to offers she desperately wanted.

"I'd have to take my car in case I get called in," she warned him.

"Understandable."

"Okay," she murmured, but he could feel her hesitation.

"Sookie, I am not trying to make you uncomfortable. We do not have to go back to my house this evening. We could wait a few weeks, and try when you are more at ease," he suggested.

"N-no," she shook her head. "I want to go tonight."

"Are you certain?"

"Can I ask another question?"

"Of course."

"Where am I going to sleep?"

Eric's brow furrowed. "With me, of course."

"Will it be comfortable...? For you?"

"Sookie," Eric sighed, "I am inviting you to spend the weekend at my house. I would not put you in a guest bedroom when you could just as easily set the whole building ablaze and kill me that way if it were your intention."

"Okay, just let me pack some stuff," she said, squirming away from him and finally dislodging his semi-hard member. Sookie froze momentarily when she caught her first ever glimpse of his maleness, while trying to ignore that it was streaked with blood. "Th-that fit in me?"

Glancing down at his groin, Eric smirked, and then looked back at her. "It was even bigger than this when I was fucking you."

"Really?" she asked in amazement.

"Yes, really," he laughed.

"Can I see it like it was when we get to your house?"

"Definitely," he agreed.

Sookie nodded absent-mindedly as she rolled off of the bed and grabbed some clothes from her dresser. She picked out a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. After all, she was only going to her car.

"Lover, you should put on some panties as well," Eric suggested while he climbed out of bed as well.

"Why? I'm just going to my car. No one will notice," she said, distractedly looking for her bra she had worn earlier. As she bent over to pick it up, she felt a large quantity of fluid trickle down her thigh. Reflexively she cupped herself and quickly checked her hand, unable to comprehend the combination of fluids that had pooled in her palm. "What the..?"

Eric nipped her shoulder as he walked past her and into her panty drawer. Returning to her side, he dipped his finger into the fluids on her hand and pressed it into her mouth. "It is me," Her eyes dilated at the flavor on her tongue, tasting the tinge of his blood that came through in his semen. "And you," he added as an afterthought.

"We taste good," she whispered.

Taking her wrist in his hand, he licked her palm without thinking. "Yes, we do," It was only when he felt the emotional link he had with her strengthen that the vampire realized he had consumed the blood of her torn hymen, accidentally cementing a first mutual blood exchange. He swore internally for the mistake. He would need to be extremely careful from this point onward. Regardless, he needed to explain about mutual exchanges, and where they could lead.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review! I'll see you all on Sunday!**

 **-Andi**


	6. Chapter 6

Never End

 _A/N: Hey, everyone, I'm here with your next chapter, I hope you enjoy! As always, thanks to my wonderful editor msbuffy!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Six: Sleepless Overs**

"All settled in, girls?" Sookie crooned at Mags and Junes when Eric returned from disappearing with her overnight bag, and the dogs' travel bag was placed on the kitchen counter. Sookie kept a travel bag for her dogs prepared at all times in the event that on a whim she went to visit her Gran.

"Are _you_ all settled in?" Eric asked when he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I never thought we would get here."

He was, of course, referring to the constant stop and go between her apartment and the ten miles to his house. First, she had realized she had left her flowers in the car, and Eric had offered to run them back up to her apartment. Then, when he returned, her stomach had growled loudly, and he insisted that she at least stop somewhere for drive-thru. Finally, about halfway to his house and half a cheeseburger meal later, Sookie suddenly pulled over to ask what he would do about his car. That had lead to a fifteen-minute roadside discussion about his ability to fly.

At last they were at his home with Mags and Junes instantly claiming his couch.

"I'm ready to get back into bed," she admitted, biting her lip bashfully.

Squeezing her tightly to him, Eric asked, "Do you think you can keep yourself calm long enough for a quick tour?"

Sighing with an expression of great effort, Sookie muttered, "Maybe if you make it super quick."

Laughing, Eric showed her around the house, explaining how his security system worked as well as the codes for arming and disarming so she could leave during the day for work or food. He apologized profusely for not having food in the house, but admitting that he had not anticipated her coming home with him. He had not felt compelled to admit the offer to invite her home was an impulsive one that he had been surprised to have requested.

Shortly after that they arrived in Eric's room, and Sookie stared in wonder while they went through one door, only to find a four foot long hallway and another keypad next to a second door.

"Light safety measure," he explained, and punched in a number while reciting it to her. Sookie thumped her hand against the wall before going through the door. "Cinderblock reinforced," he explained when there was no echo.

"Wow," she exclaimed, surprised at all the measures he had taken.

Eric merely smiled at her wonder and flicked on the lights for the room. "There is a bathroom there," he told her, gesturing to a door diagonally off the entrance. Sookie noticed her duffle bag sitting atop of his dresser and realized this was where he had gone with it when she was settling in her dogs.

"With a toilet?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes, it already existed at the time, and I felt no need to remove it."

Sookie tilted her head curiously, "I didn't think a master bedroom and bathroom would not have windows..?"

"Oh, they did, I had them removed and bricked up when I reinforced the walls."

"That makes sense."

Sookie wandered around the room taking in the crisp blue of the walls, the vibrancy of the bamboo flooring and the deep wood tones of the furniture that seemed to subdue the high contrast of the floors and walls. The bed was a deeper blue than the walls, but in the same oceanic color palette.

"It's very relaxing in here," she commented.

"It is one of the few rooms where I spend much of my time," he confessed.

"Oh?"

"A few hours before and after dawn, a couple hours before sunset."

"You don't spend much time at your house?"

"Not really. I never bring anyone here. Most of my fucking is done at Fangtasia."

Sookie cocked her head to the side, "Why did you bring _me_ here?"

"Because I wanted to hold you while you slept, even if I could not have a memory of it," he admitted.

Biting her lip shyly, Sookie hid behind her hair while she stared at the bed once more. "You say stuff like that...and it... It makes me happy...and scared."

"Why does it make you happy?" he asked.

She fiddled with a lock of her hair as she murmured, "It makes me feel as if I'm your girlfriend or something."

Another smile lit his face. "Why does it make you scared?"

"You know why," she whispered.

"Because I could leave you?"

She nodded. "Because I sort of want you to want me that way."

"I thought you wanted superficial last night?"

"You told me to let you know if things changed," There was no denying that her reaction to his flowers had been far more than lust fueled fantasy. _'Not running'_ had struck a much deeper chord than carnal motivations. Sookie had exposed the grim birth of her path toward law enforcement, and to have Eric accept that, even begrudgingly, drew her to the vampire.

"That I did."

Pushing her hair behind her ear she asked, "Is that going to be a problem?"

Eric shook his head. "Not at all."

"Why's that?"

"Because I sort of wanted you to want me to want you that way," he teased.

"Really?"

Eric reached to push the hair on the other side of her face behind her ear. "Yes, really," He pressed his forehead to hers as he confessed. "I was infatuated with you the second you walked into my club. By the end of last night, I wanted very much to give you everything and anything you could possibly want or need," He planted a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose. "However, I know how injured you are emotionally. I know that I need to move at your pace and your pace alone. I agreed to that superficial fucking because it was what you thought you wanted. I held back when you unknowingly pushed your limits. I pushed when your emotional injuries kept you from going toward what you truly wanted."

"It seems kind of impulsive for you to invest so much time and energy in someone you met two weeks ago," she mumbled.

Eric laughed a bit. "It might to you, but I am over a thousand-years-old and have only created one progeny in Pam. I am not moved to such strong motivations often. When I felt this pull toward you, I wanted to focus on nothing else."

"So, you're not just impulsive and fickle?"

"Not at all."

"Then you want to keep me around for a while?"

"Sookie, I would keep you around forever if you would allow me," He pulled away to look into her eyes as he said, "But you are not sure enough of what you want yet. That is why I want you to be honest about your wants and needs. I want to prove to you a million times that I can be _anything_ you need of me, and I will be any and all of those things, gladly, _happily_ if it means you will stay." He stroked his hand against her cheek before continuing, "I can feel that this is getting to be too much for you. So, we will leave it there for now."

"Thank you," she answered gratefully. "That was quite a bit for me to take in... Still... Does that mean I can call you my boyfriend?"

"Yes, you may," he laughed joyously.

"You won't call me Miss Stackhouse or Detective Stackhouse anymore?"

"Miss, rarely. Detective... Perhaps if we are playing some dirty games," he winked.

"Will you tell people I'm your girlfriend?"

"If the sentiment pleases you, I will do that," He nodded in consent.

"You don't care for saying boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I am unaccustomed to it, but not against doing so."

"Because it's what I want?"

Eric smiled. "Yes, and because it makes you happy. I always want to make you happy."

"You do," she assured.

"Unfortunately," Eric began slowly, "I do have one heavier topic that I need to address." Sookie groaned, pulling away from him and flopping onto his bed. Eric had to focus his attention away from how her breasts jiggled with such a violent movement. "It is about an error in judgment I made earlier this evening."

Sookie's head shot up, and he felt her anxiety spike. "Wh-when we were..."

Eric rolled his eyes. Of course Sookie would think that he was regretting having sex with her! _Silly girl._ "When I licked your palm before we left the apartment that was a big mistake."

Sookie flushed at the memory. "How so?"

"Your blood was part of the mixture as was mine since quantities of it are infused with my emissions, although it was actually the blood from my finger that qualified the exchange. My emissions are not quite enriched enough to accomplish such a feat."

"You had my blood last night and it didn't matter," she pointed out.

"True, but you had not consumed my blood that evening. Tonight you did, and I, inadvertently, drank yours." 

"What's the big deal?" Sookie asked, crossing her legs on the bed, too relieved at knowing he did not regret sleeping with her to be concerned over a little blood swapping.

"If a human and vampire share blood in the same evening, it is a mutual exchange. If they were to do three mutual exchanges, The Bond would be forged, and they would be connected eternally from then on."

"Connected how?" Sookie asked.

Eric sat down next to her on the bed, taking her hand in his and playing with her fingers in a somewhat self-conscious gesture. "The human would be able to feel the vampire the way that I can feel you right now. Our emotions would be available to one another at all times. The way humans speak through gestures of love rather than words, but internalized. You could send affection or desire to me from great distances, and I could send those same emotions back to you. We could find one another anywhere on the planet."

When Sookie's hands stiffened, Eric could hear her heart begin hammering in her chest. "How do you break a Bond?"

"You do not. It can only be severed in True Death. If the human-half committed to becoming a vampire, the Bond would survive the metamorphosis, Bonded Mates for all eternity. If the human chose not to cross over when they died, their Bonded usually meets the sun."

"They kill themselves?"

"Surviving without one's Bonded is... Unrecorded."

Frowning to herself, Sookie considered what he was telling her. "What if the vampire died, not the human?"

"The same thing, only without the combustion. It would be poison or slitting wrists. Either way, the human half would find a way to kill themselves. Although, I can only recall one instance where the human outlived their vampire mate," he confessed.

"So, they can't be separated. Ever," Sookie considered his words.

"Never," he agreed.

"And that's three mutual exchanges?" Sookie asked.

"Yes. I did not intend to broach this topic at such a stage in our relationship, but seeing as I unintentionally set the possibility into motion, I knew you should be made aware. Accidents are not something I am accustomed to, but there you have it."

"I appreciate that," she answered quietly.

"Tell me what you are thinking?" he requested merely because he was surprised that she was not in a state of panic after what he had told her. Her emotions were rather peaceful, despite the spike in her heart rate.

"Honestly?"

"No," he dead-panned, "lie to me."

Rolling her eyes, Sookie admitted, "I'm intrigued. More than I wish I was..."

"How do you mean?"

"If we were Bonded, you could never leave me," she whispered. "Still, all of this is too much. Too new. I can't know yet if I want 'forever', you know?" 

"I do know," he assured. "I did not wish to put such considerable thoughts on your mind just yet. I had hoped to put this off for several months-"

"Eric, I'm not scared off," she reassured him. "We'll try to keep your blood out of my mouth for the time being, okay? We'll revisit this later, when I know what it's like to be in a relationship."

Eric let out a relieved sigh. "That sounds like the perfect plan."

"Good, now I believe you promised to show me something when we got here?" she hinted with a blush.

Grinning at her, Eric leaned toward the woman; planting a hand on either side of her while he captured her lips with his own. Carefully, he eased her once more onto the bed before pulling back and peeling up her shirt.

"Hey," she scolded in annoyance, "I thought you were gonna show me your... Um..."

"My cock?" he finished for her.

"Yeah. That," she said.

"Say it, Sookie," he commanded amusedly.

"Can I see your... Cock?"

Smiling at her hesitation, Eric rose from the bed and began undressing. When he stood naked before her, he watched with entertainment while she tried to force her eyes to appraise him. After some time her vision finally wandered between his legs before darting away and playing with her hair.

He could feel a dose of confusion coming from her and his curiosity piqued.

"Something wrong, Lover?"

"It's not as big as I remember," she confessed.

Eric laughed, "I am working up to it."

"Oh, it doesn't just..." Her hand flicked with a sharp movement to gesticulate his 'rising to occasion'.

Chuckling deeply now, Eric explained, "Lover, I would bust a zipper every time you walked past if my erections came that swiftly." Sookie placed the bent knuckle of her index finger between her teeth as she considered his meaning. "Do you want to touch my cock, Sookie?" After a moment's pause, she nodded and tentatively reached for him, surprised when he tilted away from her caress. "Say it, Sookie," he encouraged, wanting to help her overcome her verbal shyness.

Fidgeting, Sookie mumbled, "I want to touch your cock." He quickly grabbed her wrist, bringing her hand to grasp his shaft, and clenched her fingers around him. Slowly now, he helped her find a rhythm to stroke him, and Sookie eventually turned her head to watch what she was doing. She could feel a throbbing building beneath her hand and marveled as the fingers that surrounded him grew further and further apart until they could no longer touch. "What makes it throb? You don't have a pulse."

"It is my body forcing more of the blood I have consumed to the organ. I do not know why it throbs rather than steadily swells. Although, I think the pulsing sensation is much more pleasurable than if it merely built up pressure," he explained.

"Th-this is how big it gets?" she asked in breathless surprise.

"Almost," he laughed at her expression. "Do you want to put my cock in your mouth, Sookie?"

Knowing what he would say if she did not voice her desire, she nodded and answered, "I want to put your cock in my mouth, Eric."

"Good girl," he whispered, using the hand that had been assisting her stroke, and placing it instead at the base of her skull. He urged her face toward him, and Sookie parted her lips automatically to receive his shaft. She recoiled violently when he struck the back of her throat, and she coughed while trying to settle the lurch her stomach had given.

"S-sorry," she mumbled in embarrassment.

"You are doing just fine, Sookie," he said softly. "You do not have to take the whole thing in your mouth. Just take the first two inches or so between your lips, and stroke the rest of me with your hands," he instructed patiently. Following his guidance, Sookie found the technique much more manageable. "You do that so well, Lover," he moaned, running his fingers through her hair and twirling the strands luxuriously. "Explore however you like," he encouraged.

One of her hands immediately abandoned his cock and traveled up his thigh to trace the sharp lines of his lower abdominal muscles. It highlighted that line between his upper thigh to his abs several times before returning between his legs and exploring the sack below where her mouth was working. She tested the weight of his balls, squeezing them experimentally before pulling her mouth from the head of his cock and drawing her tongue along a large blue vein. When her mouth came to his scrotum, she sucked his balls into her mouth while her hand continued to stroke him.

"Enough," he growled, making Sookie pull away in surprise, a little hurt. When he shoved her away onto her back, she desperately tried to discover what she had done wrong. While Eric yanked off her shorts, shoved her thighs apart, and plunged his tongue inside of her, she realized why he had stopped her so abruptly.

"I was doing good?" she panted her inquiry when his tongue took her breath away.

"Too good," he snapped, thrusting a finger inside of her with just enough force to be aggressive, but not enough to hurt her. A second finger joined the first and Sookie twisted beneath his technique. "Apparently it was good for you, too. You took two fingers easily this time. Are you going to let the third one in just as nicely?" he asked as his index finger attempted to gain entry. "No, still nice and tight." With a bit more wheedling, his third finger worked its way inside, and Sookie sobbed when his mouth finally began playing with her clit.

"Please, please, God," she cried as her body coiled, teetering on some precipice she had only discovered the previous night.

"Do not give Him my credit, Sookie. Call out the name of the one doing this to you," Eric snarled. "Cum and scream my name!"

"ERIC!" Her wail rang in his ears as her inner walls attempted to crush his invading digits.

Before their flexing could ebb, Eric once again replaced his fingers with his cock and delighted when their throbbing renewed. With a single movement, he was smashing his pelvis against hers, feeling her thrash violently beneath him.

"Yes, Sookie, keep cumming around my cock," he husked into her ear, taking short, deep strokes against her. He kissed the soft spot behind her ear, and then tugged at the lobe with his teeth. She jerked sharply as she wept beneath him. When he reached between them to play with her clit, she mewled and began writhing. Her hands lashed out, gripping and scratching anywhere she could find. She turned her head to the side and bit down on his forearm where he was bracing his weight.

"Eric," she whined against his flesh still clenched between her teeth.

"Yes, Lover?" he asked in a teasing voice as he changed his pace to long, slow, and luxurious strokes. He felt her walls finally sedate in their throbbing, and he contemplated the thoroughly ruffled woman beneath him amusedly.

"What was that?" she panted.

"Hmm?" he hummed curiously.

"That wasn't like any of the other three orgasms you've given me," she sucked in oxygen greedily between words.

"Well, if you can still keep count of how many you have had, then you can expect even more before the evening is over," he said as he found the sweet spot where his maximum girth rubbed against her the most sensitive part of her inner walls. He shortened his stroke to rekindle her passion, and hissed in her ear, "I want to feel you cum around my cock over and over until you cannot keep your eyes open any longer."

Sookie mewled at his demand. Her body was already coiling around him once more, and when he adjusted his movements, crushing his coarse curls against her begging clit, she arched painfully.

"You can do it, Lover. Cum again and again like before."

Tears in her eyes, Sookie exploded around him, feeling his shaft spending inside of her and filling her again like earlier. He roared and cursed against her breast, biting it fiercely with his sharp fangs. While he nursed the wound she felt her orgasm evolve into something more. Her entire body thrummed with life. Her limbs felt weightless. Her brain was empty of everything but the joy and pleasure spilling out of every pore.

Pulling Sookie onto her side to hold her to his body, Eric spoke soft sounds of pleasure as she continued to throb around him. He could not remember a woman's orgasm taking as long to subside, but he smoothed her hair while he continued holding her, kissing her neck sedately to ease her back into cognitive thought.

Eventually she opened her damp eyes again, and Eric smiled at their glassy appearance. "Feeling well?" he asked softly.

Sookie smiled up at him and reached her arms around his neck to pull Eric into a gentle kiss. "Amazing," she assured. "I can still count though," she taunted tiredly.

"Perhaps, but your body cannot take any more. Those were some quality orgasms you were having," he teased right back. "I fear if I gave you another, your body might forget where it should be focusing your blood flow."

"You mean into your mouth?" She pointed to her breast in a playfully, accusing manner. "Aren't you afraid of another mutual exchange?"

"There needs to be a sunset between mutual exchanges," he assured. "This makes me wonder if I should give you a bit more blood. I do not want you in any pain tomorrow..."

"I'll be fine. Really, I don't feel any discomfort."

"That is because my emissions have similar healing properties as my blood," he explained. "Although that will not help your poor, little clit." He looked between their bodies with a bit of chagrin. "You will probably be quite tender there."

"That's okay. A little reminder of you to get me through the day," she said with a wink.

Eric smiled at her coyness. "I enjoy this side of you."

"Which side?"

"This flirty side. You are so much more brazen now."

"It's all you, Eric," she assured. "I couldn't be like this with anyone else. Not because..." she paused to let out a deep, toe curling yawn. "Not because I'd be too shy..." she yawned again despite her best efforts to resist. "But because I wouldn't _want_ them when I can have you."

Eric smiled at her confession. "That is lovely to hear from you, Sookie. You are falling asleep. We will talk more when I rise tomorrow."

"I don't want to sleep," she pouted.

"It is almost three in the morning and you worked all day," he pointed out.

"But..." she tried to bite back another yawn. "But I want to stay with you."

"I will be here," he whispered. "I will hold you the whole time."

"My dogs," she mumbled, and he felt her body twitch as if to rise.

"I will let them out once you are asleep," he placated her objection. "Then I will come back and wrap you up in my arms."

As her eyes drooped tiredly, Eric returned to soothing her hair until her breathing evened out and she fell asleep. He did not know how long he held her before he slowly raised her thigh enough to slip out of her sated entrance, but she let a forlorn moan escape her lips at his absence, even in her sleep.

"I hope you always want me so near, my Sookie," he spoke softly, kissing her crown before climbing out of bed.

Eric grabbed his jeans from the floor, sliding them back on before leaving the bedroom. When he exited the second door, Junes and Mags were lying on either side of the threshold looking up at him expectantly while he closed it behind him.

"Come on, girls," he ordered, leading the dogs to the patio door of his house. He opened it for them and the shepherds took off into the night. Leaning against the frame, he watched them run around the acreage until they were ready to come back inside. Mags was noticeably quicker than her sister, and came darting to him when she was content to do so. She immediately jumped onto the couch and turned around several times before settling in.

Junes took her time coming back to the door, sniffing around interestedly at the new surroundings before gracing the vampire with her decision to come back inside. Like her sister, Junes went straight to the couch and jumped onto it, making herself comfortable.

"Night, girls," Eric whispered, returning to his safe room, engaging the security system, and finally curling once more against Sookie's back. His arms enveloped her loosely so she would not have any trouble escaping when she awoke. He spent the remainder of the dark hours caressing her skin and memorizing every aspect of her scent.

Finally, shortly after daybreak he had determined her aroma. Sunshine. She was the closest he would ever come to smelling sunlight, and it was far grander than the real star could ever be.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review, everyone! I really look forward to hearing how you are interpreting and receiving the story!**

 **-Andi**


	7. Chapter 7

Never End

 _A/N: Yet another fabulous response in reviews that made it SUPER difficult to make it to the weekend before submitting another chapter. You guys brighten my day so much. If it were not for the fact I am trying to prevent running myself out of chapters, I would give you so many more updates! Buuut, I can give you the new chapter a day early, right?_

 _As always, special thanks to my beautiful beta, msbuffy! Aside from her amazing editing skills, she's also helped me with a lot of technical writing. It's like having a research assistant! You're just too amazing, girly!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Seven: Detective Stackhouse or Sookie Stackhouse?**

Sookie awoke abruptly when she heard her siren ringtone echoing through the bedroom. She did not even have time to remember where she was as she reached blindly for the phone and gave a groggy, "Detective Stackhouse..."

" _Stackhouse, you need to come in. Marla Jacobs attempted to commit suicide this morning, and she's demanding to speak with you,"_ her captain's voice came over the phone and Sookie sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"How much damage did she do?" Sookie asked, climbing out of bed and catching her foot on the bedside table, "FUCK!" she snapped, clutching her foot while she hobbled right into the dresser. "GOD DAMN IT!"

She looked around the bedroom for a moment, grateful that Eric had left the lamp on for her since there was no window to offer any ambient light while she reacquainted herself with the layout of the bedroom.

" _Are you alright?"_ her captain asked worriedly.

"Caught my foot on the table," she grunted. "I'll be at the station in forty minutes."

" _Just go straight to the hospital. Trent will meet you there."_

"Okay, I can be at the hospital in thirty."

The captain paused a moment before stating, _"Stackhouse, the station is closer to your apartment than the hospital."_

"I'm not at my place," Sookie replied distractedly as she dug through her duffle bag.

" _Oh... Well, take your time. Report in after you interview Marla."_

"Yes, Captain," Sookie hung up her phone, finally finding something to wear. She huffed a bit when she realized her blouse was creased from being shoved in her duffle, and she wondered idly if Eric had a steam setting on his dryer that she could use.

Needing a shower, Sookie opened Eric's closet and found an unoccupied hanger to drape her blouse on and took it into the bathroom with her, hooking it on the towel rack near the floor to ceiling glass-encased shower.

After she started the spray, she groaned when she realized that she had not brought her own soap and shampoo. _Guess I'll smell like Eric today._

Stepping into the warm water, Sookie left the door open a crack to allow the rising steam to de-wrinkle her blouse, and let the warm water soak her hair before distinguishing between his shampoo and conditioner. Thankfully his body wash was not perfumed with masculine scents and she quickly finished her shower.

After toweling off Sookie spied a hair dryer on the bathroom counter. She clasped her hands in relief that Eric used one for his shoulder length hair. He even had a hair pick that she used, leaving her hair wavy and voluminous.

Grabbing her now-smoothed blouse, Sookie grabbed the rest of the clothing articles she needed to finish dressing and left the bedroom, making certain to engage the security system when she left.

Mags and Junes jumped promptly off of the couch when Sookie emerged, and she hugged them tightly before going about most of their morning ritual, minus their run. Instead, she let them run around the backyard all the while staring at her watch until she was forced to call them in and leave.

As she headed to the front door and its nearby table, Sookie found a key on top of a note.

~ _Sookie,_

 _This is the key to the front door. If you are called into work, please feel free to leave Junes and Mags with me. I will take care of them if you are gone past sundown._

 _Be safe out there._

 _Your boyfriend,_

 _Eric_

Sookie nearly melted at the note, and she pocketed the message and key before arming the security system and leaving for the hospital.

{†}

Trent leaned against the counter of the hospital's front reception desk playing with his phone while he waited for Detective Stackhouse to arrive. He was just finishing an article on a recent story from Bon Temps involving a man by the name of Drew Marshal handing himself over to the Sheriff of Bon Temps for the murders of two local women when he was interrupted.

"Good morning, Trent," Sookie's voice broke his concentration and he jumped at her sudden appearance. "Too much coffee?" she laughed, her voice teasing him. "You usually hear me coming a mile away!"

Trent's eyes widened at the woman in front of him. This was not the same Detective Stackhouse he had worked with the day before. This was not even the Sookie Stackhouse that had fawned over her flowers and given her co-workers their first glimpse of her personal life after six years of working together!

Her hair was down for the first time he could recall. Her blue blouse was undone at the top two buttons, when she _only_ ever left the very top undone in the entire time he had known her. He was aware of that because no man, married, single, or half dead could keep their eyes from straying to her large breasts, secretly wishing that second button was open so they could glimpse a peek at heaven when she leaned over to…

Suddenly Trent was no longer fantasizing about her breasts. His eyes had snapped to her posture instead. She stood before him with her left arm dangling loosely at her side while her right hand planted naturally on her cocked hip. Her left foot softly rotated outward, slightly in front of her right. Trent had never seen her posture so relaxed and natural. Usually she was rigid, and her stance was consistent with her feet slightly apart and parallel to each other. Detective Stackhouse always stood as though she believed someone would charge her at any moment.

' _Oh my God, Stackhouse got laid!'_ Trent's mind screamed in surprise, followed quickly by happiness. Sookie briefly heard him recognize the scent emanating from her and register that she had been with a vampire. She was intrigued by the fact that this realization did not stem any sort of resentment. Sookie was not entirely oblivious to the animosity between Weres and vampires.

"Sorry, I was reading an article in the Parish news. Some guy named Drew Marshal confessed to killing two women in Bon Temps. That's your old home town, right, Stackhouse?"

Sookie froze for a moment before remembering Eric had told her the culprit would be turning himself in that week. She did not know why he had made the man wait, but she decided Eric had his reasons.

"Yeah, it is," she finally replied.

"Did you know there were murders?"

"Yes, my grandmother actually told me about them a couple weeks ago," she confessed.

"Oh. I'm surprised you didn't say anything," Trent was not actually surprised.

"No, you aren't," she accused playfully, and Trent laughed.

' _This Stackhouse is_ _ **fun**_ _! I'm surprised she didn't say that Bon Temps wasn't Shreveport jurisdiction!'_

"Is Marla in the same room?"

"No, she was transferred to Psych for 72-hour observation," Trent told her, gesturing toward the elevators. He let Sookie walk in front of him, and shamelessly watched the new way her hips moved as she walked with this captivating posture she had adopted over night.

"How'd she do it?"

Trent blanched out of his musings over the way her ass bounced with the little spring that now existed in her step. "Broke a light bulb and tried to swallow the pieces." ' _I love my wife, I love my wife, I_ _ **love**_ _my wife!'_ Sookie heard in his head while he anxiously twisted his wedding ring. She felt sympathy for her co-worker despite the extensive and unprofessional way he was viewing her.

However, even though it disgusted her to have men fantasizing about her, most of Trent's thoughts were not riddled with carnal musings. He was genuinely observing only the changes between the woman he had worked with and with whom he had gone through cadet training. It was not his fault that so many seemingly permanent aspects of her character had shifted rather unexpectedly over night.

Sookie sighed. "I should have seen this. She was too calm. I was worried about her. I told her to take care of herself."

The pair took the elevators up to the third floor that held the Psychiatric Ward, and Trent lead Sookie to Marla's room.

"I'll be out here if you need anything," Trent spoke softly and opened the door for her.

"Thanks," Sookie entered the room, standing out of range from the camera that was trained on Marla. "Hi, Marla," she crooned carefully. "I heard you had a really rough morning."

Marla sneered, the light lacerations around her mouth cracking open slightly with fresh blood. "What do you care?"

Sookie's shoulders hunched at the accusation. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize just how troubled you were. You were in pain, and I was too preoccupied to see it," she admitted.

"Yeah, and then you just sent Deputy Trent to interview me instead," Marla accused.

Sookie blanched at the accuracy of Marla's observation. "Yes, I did."

"Why?"

Sookie resisted the urge to fidget. "Your case was more personal than I usually allow them to get. I was trying to keep a distance from you so I could stay focused on finding Jacobs."

The woman turned her head away from Sookie and stared across the room toward the window while she considered the detective's reasoning. "It's nothing you could have stopped, you know? How could you see what I would do? What do you know about what I'm going through?"

"Absolutely nothing," Sookie told her. "Every experience is different. Everyone hurts in different ways, breaks in different ways."

"You're not broken," Marla accused.

"If you want to wait until about eight o'clock tonight, I'll send my boyfriend over and he'll tell you just how broken I am," Sookie snorted. "Still, that's not the point. You don't really want to die, do you, Marla? After how hard you worked to survive?"

The woman leaned her head back against the wall and continued staring blankly at where the wall met the ceiling. "They still haven't found Daniel. He's still out there." ' _They were going to send me away from the hospital, into a city where he could find me anywhere...'_

"We would never let him get anywhere near you, Marla," Sookie assured her. "You don't need to do something like this," she gestured to the room, "to keep him away from you. We've had a guard on your floor with his picture this entire time."

"He can only come at me through that door when I'm here," she pointed sadly to the entrance of her room. "He could come at me from anywhere once I'm out."

"We'll find him, Marla, I promise. Can you tell me about some of his friends? Do you know who he would go to if he had to go into hiding?"

Marla sighed while she tried to press her brain for anything useful.

"Maybe his girlfriend's place? I think she's why he tried to kill me."

Sookie nodded. "What's her name?"

"I don't know. I only know what she looks like. Her name on his phone was 'Nestle.' I don't even want to _know_ where she got that pet name!" she growled.

"That makes two of us," Sookie backtracked. "Where did you see her?"

"Getting plowed by my husband in our bed," Marla's face gave way to a sneer at the memory, and Sookie had to fight her own recoil at the image. She observed the memory though, noting 'Nestle's features as well as a rather flamboyant peacock tattoo on her left breast.

"I'll send a sketch artist by for you to give a description. Remember to tell him about any tattoos, scars, or other distinguishing marks."

"She's Latina and has a hideous tattoo of a peacock on her left tit. That's the only memorable thing about her!" Marla snapped.

"Okay," Sookie nodded carefully, trying to calm the irate woman.

"I really didn't intend on killing myself, you know," Marla told her conversationally. "I didn't even try to swallow the glass. I just put it in my mouth and bit so they'd put me in here."

"I hope so, Marla. You're all your mother has left, you know? Has she been in to see you yet?"

"Not since what happened this morning, but they won't let her visit while I'm under observation anyway." 

"I see," Sookie murmured. "Is there anything you want me to tell her? I can call her hotel."

"No. I'll see her in a few days."

"Okay. You just call the station and ask for me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Sookie."

"You're welcome, Marla."

Sookie exited the room, letting out a long sigh after the door shut behind her.

"How'd it go?" Trent asked.

"Pretty well. I don't think she's suicidal. I think she's scared; scared to leave the hospital."

They headed back toward the elevators, and Sookie pressed the call button timing their wait.

"She thinks the police can't protect her outside of here?"

"She's been through so much. I think it also has to do with being in that tree for five days. She wants to feel safe and protected. The hospital gives her that right now."

"I guess. It's pretty extreme chewing a light bulb just to stay in the hospital though."

"She's in survival mode still," Sookie defended.

"Well, I don't get it, but it looks as if you do." When the elevator arrived, they climbed inside. "Sorry you got called in today."

"It's okay. It shouldn't take me long to brief the captain and transcribe my recording."

"Did you at least have fun last night?" Trent tried to coax some information out of her.

"I did, thank you."

' _Please, tell me SOMETHING_!'

Sookie laughed, "I spent the night at my boyfriend's house."

' _Oh my God! She actually told me!'_

"Oh, do you usually do that on the weekends?" Trent asked innocently.

"No, this was a first." She was smiling a secret smile to herself, and it made Trent grin as well.

"Good for you," he murmured when the elevator doors opened and they walked out of the hospital together.

{†}

Sookie was surprised at all of the confused double takes. They were not 'girl stopping traffic' stares, but ones of general confusion. Police men and women alike momentarily froze and stared at her as if they had no idea who she was.

Even her telepathy could not explain the strange occurrence.

"Trent," Sookie hissed when she caught up with him outside their division's annex, "do I look _that_ different? People are staring at me as if I'm new or something."

The Deputy First Class smirked down at her and replied, "When I jumped this morning at the hospital?" he reminded carefully. "I didn't jump because I didn't hear you coming. I jumped because I couldn't even recognize your footsteps anymore. I knew there was someone in front of me, but I had no idea it was you."

He left out the part about her scent having changed. Obviously she would know a human would not be able to differentiate scents from such a distance.

"Oh," Sookie mumbled, bringing the bent knuckle of her index finger between her teeth. "I never realized I was so rigid or severe-looking. I knew I was sharp when I spoke; I just never realized that shone through my appearance, too. "

"People tend to notice changes, not absences," Trent pointed out.

"That's true," she agreed with a laugh as they entered their department.

Detectives Murphy and Burns stopped mid-conversation with Captain Kleinman when the pair walked into the room.

"Good afternoon, Stackhouse," the Captain grinned at her. ' _She looks so happy!'_

"G-good afternoon, Sir," Sookie stammered with surprise.

"Sorry we had to drag you in, but you have the best relationship with Mrs. Jacobs," Kleinman explained when he came to stand beside her.

"Oh, I understand," she nodded.

Leaning closer, he muttered under his breath, "I'll get you back to your weekend activities as fast as I can." His promise made an unwelcome red stain her cheeks while her breath hitched, and Murphy, Burns, and Trent all noticed. "Get what you need to done so you can get out of here, and we can avoid paying you too much overtime this weekend," Kleinman laughed, turning to his office.

"Anything I can help with, Stackhouse?" Trent asked eager to help her finish her work quickly.

"Go contact the hospital and find out when they'll allow Marla to sit with a sketch artist, and then coordinate with that team when the hospital gives you a time frame for it," Sookie instructed while she placed the headphone jack into her phone that she used as a recorder during her interview with Marla. She placed a bud in her ear and opened a document to transcribe the conversation.

"On it," Trent assured.

"Murphy, can you run a database search of Latin-American women aged 18 to 20 who have a peacock tattoo on their left breast?"

"18 to 20?" Murphy frowned. "How'd you get those numbers?"

"Marla's 21. Mr. Jacobs doesn't strike me as the type to cheat older."

Murphy grumbled in agreement. "I'm sure he wouldn't."

Sookie paused a moment, "Cross reference those with solicitation records."

"You think she's a prostitute?"

"Maybe. Jacobs has enough money that he could afford a professional mistress rather than a girlfriend on the side. See if there are any prostitutes with the street name Nestle."

"That's a narrow field," Murphy grumpily chattered some more, typing search perimeters in frantically. He snorted. "What do you know? I actually got one."

"Thank God her name wasn't Cherry or we'd have over a few dozen," Sookie muttered, peeking at his screen. "Huh, Marla was right. That is one hideous tattoo."

"I'll send out patrol."

"I'll go with them," Sookie went to her desk for her Glock.

"Are you sure?"

"I promised Marla that I would make her safe. If Jacobs is at his girlfriend's house, I am _not_ letting him leave without a pair of cuffs around his wrists." Holstering her weapon, she shouted, "I'll grab Trent on the way. Call in a black and white to meet us up the block. I don't want them to beat us there and spook Jacobs!"

{†}

"You all right, Stackhouse?" Trent asked while Sookie smoothed her hand over the Velcro band of her bulletproof vest.

"Yeah, just excited," she said, smoothing again.

"You look scared," he confessed.

"A little bit of both."

"You think he's in there?" Trent pointed to the house they were approaching.

She could already hear his mind. "Yes."

The patrol car that was serving as their backup pulled up along the curb, exited their vehicles, and waited for Sookie and Trent to come around.

"Trent, take Peterson with you to the front. Rookie, you're coming around back with me," Sookie ordered. She knew she had a much better chance of being the one to take Jacobs in if she went around back. It was the most common flight pattern.

After Sookie was in position at the rear entrance of the quaint, little ranch-style house, she heard Trent pound on the front door, "Nina Sanchez, this is Shreveport P.D. We have questions regarding Daniel Jacobs and a warrant for his arrest!"

Sookie heard Nina's panicked mind while she went to the front door. Of course her thoughts were in frantic Spanish; and all the telepath could pick out was ' _Oh God!'_ and several images of Daniel grabbing her revolver from a desk drawer.

Focusing now on Jacobs, Sookie saw through his eyes when he came toward the kitchen, heading for the back door. His eyes lit on the stupid rookie behind her, standing with his head square in front of the kitchen window. He raised his gun, and Sookie spun around, diving for the new officer whom she managed to topple to the ground before the bullet sounded. As they fell to the ground, Sookie scrambled back to her feet just in time to give chase to Jacobs who had bolted out the back door.

"You're not getting away from me!" Sookie snarled under her breath as she barked into her radio. "Stackhouse in pursuit of armed suspect on foot. Rounding north of Bessie St, heading east!"

After giving her team notice of her advancements, Sookie kicked her legs into overdrive. She sped quickly after Jacobs, anticipating his every feint and attempted dodge until she lunged into his body and tackled him to the ground.

"Daniel Jacobs," she growled, "you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Marla Jacobs, assault with a deadly weapon, endangering a police officer, resisting arrest, and pissing me the fuck off! You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say-" Daniel Jacobs yelled and thrashed beneath her as Sookie recited the Miranda Rights and struggled to get him turned onto his stomach in order to fasten his wrists behind his back. She was also trying to figure out where the hell his revolver had gone. She knew he had not thrown it, but also had not seen it before or after she tackled him.

While she struggled with the culprit, finally managing to twist him around, a series of shots rang out, and the woman felt as if a baseball bat had smashed thrice against her back. Gasping for air and in shock when a POP rung in her ear, Sookie's heart hammered even harder at the realization that a bullet had just barely missed her head. Frantically, she twisted and aimed her weapon at her assailant.

 _Nina!_ Sookie managed to realize as she fired five rounds at the advancing woman who held a revolver in her hand. An epiphany struck. There had been a second woman in the house who Sookie had thought was Nina's mind! Nina had recovered Jacob's gun and pursued them!

There was no time for Sookie to berate herself for her impatience and singular focus on Jacobs which had allowed the presence of _three_ minds and not just two within the house to go unnoticed. All attention was now centered on Nina who crumpled to the ground when Sookie's bullets tore into her. While Sookie tried to regain her control on Jacobs, the man twisted, and punched her square in the face.

"NINA!" Jacobs screamed, trying to scramble away from Sookie and toward his lover.

Winded from the shots, and then disoriented further by Jacob's swing, Sookie teetered to her feet, and lunged once more for Jacobs. The man struggled with her with greater intensity than before.

"If you want her to live, then give up so I can take care of her!" Sookie screamed into his ear.

"You killed her! You fucking killed her! Fuck you, you pig cunt!" Jacobs screamed right back, landing several hits to her face before she managed to pin one of his hands under her knee and punch him repeatedly in the face. Her last hit stunned him, and Sookie managed to turn him onto his stomach to finally cuff him.

Grabbing her radio, and hearing sirens pulling up behind her on Bessie Street, Sookie fell onto her bottom as she panted into the speaker, "Suspect in custody. Paramedics needed. 18-year-old female, multiple GSW to the abdomen."

Clambering back to her feet, Sookie reached Nina and kicked the nearly spent revolver away. The young woman was choking on her blood while Sookie knelt beside her, trying to staunch the bleeding, but finding every shot she had fired had been imbedded in Nina's torso.

"STACKHOUSE!" Trent yelled while he ran up the slight incline toward her. "Are you okay!?"

"I'll live," Sookie whispered, still holding the wounded woman, feeling Nina's cold hands clamping onto her overheated wrist. "I'll live..."

{†}

"You okay, Stackhouse?" Captain Kleinman asked softly as she sat at her desk.

"I'm fine," Sookie replied in a hushed tone.

"We'll need your firearm."

"I know."

"You know you'll have to meet the Force's psychologist a few times before you can leave your desk again."

"I know."

"Will you go to the hospital now?"

"I'm fine."

"Sookie," her eyes turned to him wearily, "it's never easy for a cop to take a life. No one expects you to be 'fine'." His gaze turned beseeching. "Please? Go to the hospital? Even though your vest took the bullets, it can still crack some ribs."

"The most they would do is bind them anyway," she grumbled.

"What about your face? That's some major swelling. You could have a broken cheek bone," he urged.

"I'm fine."

"SOOKIE!" The woman's back went rigid at the sound of her name being shouted by that voice. "What the hell happened!?" Sookie turned slowly in her chair to meet Eric's bewildered gaze. When he saw her ruined face, he froze mid-step. "Sookie, your face," he murmured, closing the remaining distance and turning her chair to face him. His cold hands felt wonderful on her throbbing skin.

"You the boyfriend?" Kleinman asked.

"Yes," Eric replied distractedly, still touching her face gently while he tried to reconcile his emotions at seeing her this way.

"See if you can't get her to go to the hospital and get her chest x-rayed. She was shot today."

Eric's head snapped to the captain's, and then back to Sookie. "You need to go to the hospital."

"I _need_ to finish my incident report," she snarked.

"You'll be chained to your desk until the Shooting Team and the Sheriff's office release you of any wrong doing. Besides, you _have_ to go to the hospital so we can catalogue your injuries into evidence. I've tried being easy on you, Stackhouse, but now I'm ordering you. Go to the hospital!"

Rising sharply from her seat, Sookie placed her Glock on her desk and turned toward the door.

"Sookie," Eric walked briskly after her, "let me take you."

"I don't want to go," she whispered.

"Why?"

"Nina's there," she choked, diving into the restroom to hide from a passing officer as tears filled her eyes.

Without hesitation, Eric followed her into the bathroom. She had already barricaded herself into a stall.

"Who is Nina?" Eric asked quietly.

"The girl I killed today," Sookie gasped. "I don't even remember drawing my gun! I don't even remember deciding to do it! I heard it. I heard the bullet blow past my ear, and then I was pulling the trigger over and over! It happened so fast, and-"

"Sookie," Eric soothed, "it was the adrenaline." He tried very hard to ignore the fact that a bullet had zipped past her head. How many inches? Fractions? How close had that bullet been to blowing apart the loveliest face he had ever seen? How close had that bullet been to mutilating the most giving mind he had ever explored?

"What if one shot would have stopped her? If I'd just shot once? Would she have lived? Would she have stopped?" Sookie babbled.

"You are trained to shoot in bursts," he reminded.

"But one shot..." she whispered around a sob.

There was an unbearable amount of silence as Eric felt the dark emotions swirling in her.

"Eric, I need you to leave," When he hesitated to reply, she managed to choke out, "I can't do this here. I can't be strong and walk out of this building the way I want when you're holding my hand. Please, I'll go to the hospital alone. I'll come back to your house once I'm done there. I can't be a cop with you around."

"I do not understand," he admitted.

Sookie leaned her head against the side of the stall while she tried to articulate what she needed him to understand. "It's too easy to fall into your arms and let you take all of the bad things away. When I see you, or hear your voice, or read a note from you... I am Sookie. You let me be Sookie. Right now, I have to be Stackhouse, and I can't be her when you're here calling for me."

"I do not think you are in a condition to drive," Eric murmured. "May I wait for you at your car? I will drive you to the hospital, and wait for you in the parking lot if you prefer..?"

"Okay," Sookie agreed. "I'll meet you down there after I get myself back together."

"All right. I will be patient. Take all the time you need," Eric walked toward the door and silently left Sookie in the bathroom.

When she was certain he would not return, Sookie came out of the stall and went to the sink to splash cool water on her face. Gently, she dabbed away the moisture and looked at her face in the mirror. The swelling was pretty bad as her captain had commented. Her left eye was nearly shut, and the discoloration was mostly red. She could see the threatening rainbow of her bruise blossoming, knowing it would be in full bloom when she awoke the next day.

Taking low, even breaths, Sookie quelled the anxious heart rate thrumming beneath her ribs. She eased her body to stop its shivering. There was time to fall apart in the safety of Eric's home and arms. Right now, she needed to go to the hospital, have her injuries documented, assure Marla that she was safe, and maybe eat something.

' _No wonder I can't stop shaking!'_ Sookie thought as she remembered that the last time she had eaten was her McDonald's run on the way to Eric's house the night before.

Laughing hollowly while she was suddenly obsessed with the idea of food after such a grueling day, Sookie took that bit of amusement and managed to smooth her unrelenting sorrow off of her face. ' _There's the stoic detective everyone knows and loves,'_ she thought with further dark comedy.

Finally able to escape the bathroom, Sookie avoided eye contact with any and all colleagues she passed. They seemed to recognize her avoidance, and even managed to keep their sympathetic looks to themselves.

Arriving at her car, Eric leaned against the side; Sookie dug her keys out of her pocket and handed them to him. Eric pressed the remote quickly and opened the passenger side door for her before climbing behind the wheel.

As they pulled out of the lot, Eric asked softly, "May I hold your hand, Sookie?"

He could feel her trying to decide if she would take it. When she stiffly shook her head, he resisted the urge to sigh. Detective Stackhouse did not like being touched. As much as Sookie longed for his comfort, the Detective could not handle any such weakness at the moment.

The drive to the hospital was short, and Sookie jumped out of the car before Eric managed to pull up to the Emergency Room Drop Off.

"You should go home," Sookie told him. "I could be here awhile."

"I will wait here in the parking lot," Eric told her assuredly.

Sighing at his determinedness, Sookie merely nodded and went into the hospital. Eric found a parking space and closed his eyes, monitoring her emotions the entire time. She was remarkably at ease, for the most part. Every so often he could feel her anxiety spike briefly. As quickly as those bursts came, however, Sookie brought them back under control and maintained her concrete emotions.

Around nine, less than an hour after arriving, Sookie emerged from the hospital. Eric immediately got out of the car to meet her.

"You could not have actually seen a doctor by now!"

"Cops get served quickly," Sookie mumbled. When Eric was standing nearly on top of her and sniffing her intently, Sookie rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You think I just sat around in the hospital for nearly an hour without seeing anyone? I had to get photographed for evidence, too, you know. I'm not going to risk my career by neglecting to do so."

"You seemed quite intent to do so at the station," Eric reminded, verifying several different human scents on her, as well as antiseptics and adhesive.

"Satisfied?" Sookie snarked when Eric eased away.

"Yes."

"I just needed some time. The captain understood that."

"I know, but he could not feel what I felt. I was concerned about where your emotions were taking you."

"I'm fine," she assured dully.

Eric shook his head in mild exasperation. "Physically, perhaps. I would argue that you are not fine physically, but I am certain you know better what a beating your body can take than I do. Mentally? You are not fine, Lover."

Sookie tilted her head to the asphalt and scuffed her boot against it, sending loose black clumps spraying against her car's tire. "I don't know what I'm feeling," she finally admitted. "Other than hungry... I feel sort of numb now."

Smiling softly, Eric placed his hands on her shoulders. "Let me take you to dinner. We could go to a bar maybe? Low lighting, greasy food, and 90 proof gin?" his voice was laced with indulgent promises.

Flicking an unbidden tear away, Sookie sobbed on a laugh. "That actually sounds good right about now."

"Get in the car, then. I know a bar that is supposed to serve good food," he encouraged, opening the passenger side door for her.

Sookie slid into the vehicle and leaned back carefully against her seat. Before Eric was behind the wheel, she had fallen asleep. Eric drove in silence, taking her limp hand in his and exalting at the comfort it brought him. Her warm hand radiated against his cooler one, reminding him that he had not lost her that day. Despite her stubbornness, she had proven her continued health and it brought him peace of mind.

After half an hour, Eric pulled up to a bar in Bossier. It was more of a lounge than a bar with its soft lighting, inviting booths, pub tables, and soft music.

"Sookie," Eric whispered, squeezing her hand. She groaned in her sleep and Eric smiled. "Lover, did you still want to eat?" he asked her quietly, leaning over and kissing her lips until they responded.

"Hi," she mumbled against his mouth, reaching up tiredly to stroke his hair.

"Hi," he returned before pressing his lips once more briefly against hers. "Ready to eat?"

"Yeah," Sookie gave a wincing stretch.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just my bruises from my vest," she explained.

"How bad?"

"38 Special from about ten yards."

"I do not know the relevance of that," Eric admitted.

Sookie made a face, but could not think of an appropriate description. Instead, she fell back on the old, "It feels like a major league hitter struck me three times in the back with a baseball bat."

"Where? I do not want to put my hands on you and hurt you," Sookie sighed and flipped on the dome light before turning in her seat. When the light flicked back off, she looked at Eric curiously. "I do not need the light," he told her simply and she nodded in understanding.

She unbuttoned her blouse and pulled it off with a soft moan of pain. Eric could already see some of the bruising even before she awkwardly pulled her tank top off of her back. Eric hissed at the sight.

"That bad?" she asked.

"Terrible!" he said between clenched teeth. His hand rose to carefully trace the angry black and blue blotches before kissing each of them in turn. They were as large in diameter as his fist, deep purple and red at the center. One was originating just below her shoulder blade, but discoloring the entire bone structure. The second was several inches down and just lateral of her spine. The third was on her lower right side, five inches above and to the right of her sacrum.

"That was the scary one," she whispered as Eric traced the third bruise. "I was leaning forward trying to cuff Jacobs when Nina shot me. That last one only caught the plate by a half inch," Eric's fingers faltered when she said this before kissing the welt just as he had the other two.

"Why did you tell me that?" Eric moaned with distress.

"Because... I don't know what I'm feeling. The more you know about what happened, the more you can help me... Come to grips with everything."

"I see," he whispered. "Food?"

"Food," she agreed.

"Drink?"

"Definitely."

Eric got out of the car and went to Sookie's side, helping her from the vehicle. When she went to grab her blouse, she could not move her shoulders properly to put it back on. "Forget it!" she snapped.

"I will help you," Eric offered, taking her shirt from her.

"No, it's fine. The cool air actually feels good on it. Your hands felt good too," she told him.

"I am tempted to give you my blood to heal the injuries. I cannot bear looking at your face like that," he confessed.

"Well, I think my fellow officers will get mighty suspicious if I come back on Monday looking fresh as a daisy."

"I am sure they would understand you were reaping the benefits your lover can provide."

Sookie laughed at a memory. "You know, everyone suspected I got laid last night."

"Is that so?"

"Oh yeah! My entire department looked at me like I was from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"."

"Why?"

"I was relaxed and fun. I was smiling more. I looked flirty and happy," she listed.

Eric smiled sadly. "I wish I could have seen it," he said as they walked into the lounge. They found a quiet, shaded corner, and Sookie accepted a menu from one of the waitresses shortly after they were seated.

"Anything to drink while you look at the menu?" the young woman asked, straightening her black apron that blended seamlessly with her little black dress.

"Gin and tonic, please," Sookie replied quickly.

"Okay, I'll grab that while you find something to eat. Anything for you, Sir?" she asked of Eric.

"Nothing, thank you," Eric replied politely, staring at Sookie while she looked at her menu. When the server left, Eric asked, "Are you going to be able to lie on your back at all?"

Sookie looked up from the single page of food offerings, and raised her eyebrows. "Already hankering to lay me down?"

"I have never had my mate battered before. I have an overwhelming compulsion to fuck you in response to how I am feeling about your injuries," he told her.

"And how do my injuries make you feel?" she asked.

"Angry. Terrified. Concerned. Apprehensive... Many things. Mostly, I want to feel that you are well. I want to reassure myself that you are still here... It is a very confusing blend of emotion," he confided.

"Here's your gin and-" the server froze at the sight of Sookie's face. Before, the officer had her hair shielding the left side of her features. Now she was staring at Eric, and her bruises were well on display.

"Thank you," Sookie smiled at her, taking the drink.

' _Oh my God! Is he beating her? The poor girl!'_ The server was thinking sympathetically. Her gaze narrowed on Eric and she scowled at him.

"I'm a cop," Sookie told the young woman carefully. "A man resisting arrest did this, not my boyfriend," she gestured to Eric.

"Oh!" The server reeled. "Wow! A cop? You are? You're so tiny though!"

Sookie snorted. "All muscle," she teased, flexing her arm.

"Holy crap!" the younger woman laughed at the impressive definition of Sookie's limb.

"I'm... I'm Sookie," she greeted awkwardly, unaccustomed to introducing herself by her first name. "This is Eric."

"Tess," the server offered. "So, are you a patrol officer?"

"Homicide Detective."

"Cool! Wait! Holy crap! You're the one who busted that sex trade ring last year! I can't believe I didn't recognize... Well," she grimaced at Sookie's face.

"Yeah, disfigurement can do that," Sookie agreed.

"Oh, sorry, I'm chatting away, and you wanted food. Have you decided on anything?"

"Hmm... Is there garlic in the mozzarella sticks?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tess frowned, and then glanced quickly again at Eric, suddenly enlightened.

"Could you tell me what on here doesn't have garlic?" Sookie requested, turning the menu over.

Tess quickly pointed out several options, and Sookie decided on the Buffalo wing platter. "I'll put that in for you," the server announced before dismissing herself.

Sookie picked up her drink and took a long draw before pressing the cold glass carefully against her bruised cheek.

"That must have been the longest conversation I have seen you carry on with a stranger," Eric announced while her eyes gently closed against the ice cold glass.

"She thought you were beating me. I had to set her straight."

"I could not have cared less."

"Well, I do care. Not just because it's slander against how well you treat me, but because I don't like the idea of anyone thinking I'd be with a man who beat me."

Eric smiled at her prideful statement. "I would be greatly amused to see what became of a man who tried to lay a hand on you... Out of curiosity, what became of the culprit you apprehended that did that to your face?"

Sookie grinned devilishly. "Snapped cheekbone, concussion, and broken nose."

"I am glad to hear you gave better than you got."

"He wouldn't have gotten a hand on me if Nina hadn't shot me," she scowled, bringing the straw to her lips for another hard pull of gin before pressing it back to her cheek.

"How are you feeling about what happened today?" Eric asked smoothly, unassumingly.

Sookie sighed as she thought for a moment, and Eric could feel her sadness well though not as destructively as before. "I'm sad...and angry, but not at myself. I'm sad that Nina's dead, and that I was the one who killed her. I'm angry that any of this even had to happen. If Jacobs hadn't left the revolver in the house for Nina to use, maybe she wouldn't have come after us. She definitely wouldn't have been able to force me to shoot her. I'm angry that Nina is dead and Jacobs is not. If I could switch their places, I would."

Eric nodded in understanding. "How does taking a life make you feel?"

Sookie sucked her straw back into her mouth, grinding the end of it between her teeth a moment. "Sad, maybe depressed? I didn't join the police force because I wanted to be violent. I joined to save people from violence. I'm not going to pretend that I don't enjoy the physical training I do as a cop. I love our hand to hand training options, and I love beating the crap out of the punching bag. I just don't think of being aggressive like that to _people_. I think of not being a victim, and in return, saving others from being a victim when I train hard. Today... I couldn't save Nina from being a victim. Not _my_ victim, but Jacobs'. He was the one who put her in danger, not me. She was so in love with him. When she was dying, she asked if Jacobs was okay. She grabbed my wrist, and choked on her blood, but still managed to ask if he was okay." Sookie shook her head in absolute marvel. "It's scary to think of loving someone so much that you would let them put you in danger that way."

"It is scarier loving someone so much and knowing that they are in danger they put themselves in," Eric said softly. "I care for you deeply, Sookie. I cannot say that it is love yet, but rising this evening and feeling your turmoil, not knowing what had happened, seeing your face, and discovering you had been shot... I have never felt so helpless or terrified than I did this early evening."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, all the not knowing," Sookie drained the remainder of her drink and set it aside.

Before Eric could respond, Tess returned. "Would you like another?" she asked, gesturing to the empty tumbler.

"Yes, please," Sookie answered. She did not miss the way her response made Eric's eyes dilate. "What?" she laughed at his expression.

Eric chuckled as well when his spell of arousal was broken. "Apparently, I have a Pavlovian reaction to you saying that."

" _Yes, please_ ," she husked, making Eric growl.

"Careful, Sookie, or I will bend you over the table right now. I will not need to worry about your back that way, now will I?"

Before the woman could respond, Tess reappeared with a fresh drink, and Sookie brought it to her lips swiftly. After the server left, Sookie murmured, "Bathroom?"

Eric stared at her in surprise. At first, he wondered if she was asking him for permission to use the facilities, quickly making him question _why_ she would ask. Then, he realized she was asking him to go to the bathroom with her.

Standing swiftly, Eric took her hand in his, and hauled the woman toward the restrooms. Pulling her through the door, he shoved it closed and put his back to the entrance before listening for any other women in the room.

"Take off your trousers," Eric growled as Sookie looked at him with hope.

As quickly as she could, Sookie bent over and untied her boots, slipping them off her feet before attacking the zipper and button of her slacks. When she was naked from the waist down, with the exception of her socks, which she left on as not to be barefoot on the bathroom floor, Sookie awaited her next instruction.

Eric grabbed her left hip, drawing her close as he brought his mouth to hers and ran his hand up her torso until he could yank her top and bra below her breasts. His left hand joined the assault, groping at one breast while his other hand held her shirt down. Sookie moaned into his mouth as his fingers tugged and plucked at her nipple before attacking the other.

"Open my pants, Lover," Eric told her gruffly while his hand strayed down between her legs. Sookie immediately undid his fly, reaching between the folds to grab hold of his cock. She rocked her hand tentatively around him as his fingers parted her nether lips and began stroking her. "Does the promise of fucking in public turn you on this much, Sookie?" Eric asked as he found his digits already coated in her juices.

"Mmm," she rasped when he twirled those dexterous fingers around her clit, "just the promise of having you does this to me."

"Is that so?" He chuckled against her mouth while he slid his back down the door until he was sitting cross legged on the floor. Sookie followed his movements and crowed happily as he pulled her into his lap. "We will have to do it this way in here. Do you know what to do?" he asked.

Sookie nodded, though it was a hesitant reply. She straddled his member and began to sink down on him. As she came closer to sheathing him entirely, she flinched away.

"Slowly, Lover," he cautioned, holding her hips in place. "It will feel deeper this way."

Nodding once more in understanding, Sookie let him bounce her shallowly at first, increasing her arousal before pushing her down the remainder of the way. Her body cringed deliciously as he filled her completely, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she buried the uninjured portion of her face into his throat.

"So deep," she whimpered.

"Yes," he agreed, giving his hips a slight buck to emphasize how deeply he could reach inside.

A hand on either side, Eric rolled her hips in a figure eight pattern, melding his pelvis against hers at just the right angle to cause her body to jolt in pleasure.

"Uh! How do you find all the right spots?" she panted against his ear.

"Your body tells me everything I need to know," he whispered back before raising her up and then driving her back down repeatedly. "Touch yourself, Lover. I will not feel at peace until I feel you cum around me."

Sookie crooned under her harsh breath at his request. Slowly, she reached down her body until she found her sensitive pleasure point. Tentatively she began to rub herself, twitching every time Eric hit another sweet spot inside her.

"Just like that," Eric encouraged as he felt her internal muscles begin to flex.

Moaning at his encouragement, her hand picked up speed, and Eric responded by thrusting frantically beneath her. Their pace intensified further as Eric captured a bouncing tit between his lips and began suckling hard, drawing the nipple between his blunt teeth and biting with an increasing pressure.

"Eric," she choked, her walls fluttering in their telling manner.

"Yes, Sookie, keep going," he coaxed.

Continuing to thrust and simultaneously propel her movements, Eric waited for the unmistakable sensation of her vise-like clenching. However, after several minutes he was frustrated when it did not begin.

"Sookie, you have no need to be shy. It is only us. Always just us," he reminded.

"Mmhmm," she agreed, and he could see the tension on the undamaged area of her face.

Frowning at the level of concentration on her face, Eric delved into the link he shared with her and read Resistance there.

"You can cum, Sookie," he murmured and threw his head back as his teeth clenched with the power of her orgasm. Sookie shouted his name as her walls clutched him violently, and his body, unbidden by him, responded with its own climax. "Fuck," he snarled as her pussy milked him for all he was worth. He lightly banged his head against the door at the abrupt loss of control. "Fuck, Sookie, what sort of training have you given that pussy?" he demanded jokingly.

"I... Don't know... What you... Mean..." she said between gasps of air.

Eric held her carefully against his body while she collected herself. Mindful of her injuries, he played with her hair and let her relax around him. When he felt the throbbing around his shaft abate, Eric slowly lifted her off of his softening member and rose to set them back to rights.

"Ready to go back to our table?" he asked after re-lacing Sookie's boots.

Nodding mutely, Sookie went to the sink and washed her hands, laughing as Eric came over and did the same out of courtesy.

Sookie paused at the door to listen for any approaching minds before she opened it and lead Eric back to their seats. Her fresh gin and tonic was sweating, and the ice was severely melting when she sat back down.

Sookie groaned when she saw Tess coming over with her buffalo wings, a knowing smirk on her face. _'God that sex sounded HOT!'_ she thought with slight envy.

"Here's your food. I kept it warm for you," Tess said with a wink.

Sookie groaned as the server walked away and grabbed her drink, taking a deep swig.

"She knows, I take it?" Eric guessed.

"Yeah, she heard us," Sookie mumbled with a blush.

Eric merely laughed and gestured to her plate. "Well, eat your meal, and then I can whisk you back to my house. I am certain your dogs are in near hysterics for you by now."

"Oh _no_!" Sookie gasped before focusing on her food. She quickly devoured the plate, biting a stalk of celery every so often to ease the burn of the excessive vinegar. "Wow, this is so good!" she said after her fourth wing.

"The cook here used to be a sous chef in New Orleans," Eric commented while he watched her eat.

"I wonder why he came here."

"His wife wanted to be closer to her family."

"How do you know so much about him?" Sookie asked.

"I hired him."

"This is _your_ bar?"

"Lounge," he corrected teasingly. "And yes, I own it."

"Why didn't the server recognize you?"

"I do little more than invest in this place. I gave Keith a rather free reign with it. He was a promising chef who dreamed of running a bar that served worthwhile food. Though his skills are exceptional, his ambitions did not match the necessary levels for an elite chef. He is not a very competitive person. Therefore, I handle the lounge's finances; he handles the more social aspects like hiring employees."

"I'm still surprised the server didn't know you," Sookie said, down to her last wing.

"That was actually Keith's doing. He believes all customers should be treated the same, and he did not wish his staff to be tripping over themselves trying to give me better service than anyone else, and thereby neglecting other patrons. I was inclined to agree."

"Makes sense," Sookie agreed as well, finishing her plate and pushing it away before downing the rest of her drink.

"Are you ready to head back?"

"Yeah... I'm just going to actually use the restroom this time," she told him with a slight blush before rising from her seat and going to the bathroom.

Eric smiled to himself and flagged over Tess. After glamouring her memory of the bathroom sex from her mind so she could not tell the tale to anyone else, he paid their tab and left a hearty tip before rising from his seat and awaiting Sookie's return.

"Okay, I'm good to go," Sookie announced, beaming as Eric wrapped her arm around his own.

Once they were in the car, Eric paused rather than turning the key in the ignition.

"What's wrong?" Sookie asked, noting his hesitation.

"I have a question," Eric began slowly.

"Okay?" She frowned at his careful tone.

"Sookie, are you under the impression that you need _permission_ to orgasm?" he asked in that same tentative voice.

Sookie's eyes widened. "I don't?"

Eric groaned with annoyance at himself. "What did I do to you in three eveningsto cause this much confusion?"

"I just..." Sookie played with her hands embarrassedly, "assumed that's how it worked."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" he asked in a rather conversational way, no humor or condescension present.

"Well, the first time you told me to, I kind of needed you to," she mumbled bashfully. "I was nervous, and... Well, I'd never felt like you were making me feel. I was... Shy..."

"I understood that," he nodded for her to continue.

"Then... Well, last night... When... Before we did it... You had your fingers in me and you told me I couldn't... Cum yet..." Eric bit back a groan when he realized the assumptions she had made. "And... Well, you always _tell_ me to, and I just figured it was... A rule. I thought that's how you do it right."

Eric let out a self-deprecating sigh. "There are no _rules_ , Sookie. At least not in the type of relationship I wish to have with you. There are such relationships that could require you to have my permission to orgasm, but that is a Dominant/submissive relationship. Which, in the future, if you wished to explore such a dynamic, I would be content to oblige. However, at this stage in our relationship, the control I exercise over you is purely to protect you from injury or help you let go of your more debilitating hesitations," Eric looked at her confused expression and reached out to sooth the creases her thoughts had created on her face. He was not going to lie to himself; he had nurtured a form of Dominance and submission in their relationship because it was the best way he knew how to help her.

Until that moment, Eric had thought of himself as the more experienced half in their relationship and merely attempted to guide her along the way. The problem, he was realizing, stemmed from his complete lack of experience in a _relationship_ rather than a mere sexual arrangement. They were both blind in this realm of intimacy, and Eric found himself scrambling to stay ahead of her. He was actually _afraid_ she would discover he had no idea what he was doing, and was instead trying to soften the edges of what he did know. The only comfort came from her will power and trying to overcome her past and present fears. His hope, however, was not to continue the roles of Dominance and submission once she became more secure in her sexuality, and he had managed to discover what it was he should really be doing for her. "You were truly struggling to let go the first time I brought you to orgasm. After I had your blood, I could feel your Hesitation and Reluctance when you were on the edge, and I wrongfully assumed it was due to your unease with reaching orgasm."

"Oh," Sookie murmured quietly.

"The time I told you not to cum, it honestly was so that I could acclimate you to the girth you would soon be taking. I wanted you to flex around my fingers so that it would not cause you much discomfort when I entered you."

Sookie's face was bright red from both the awkwardness of the conversation and the memories of her first night with Eric. "So," she began meekly, "I can... I can just cum whenever I feel like it?"

"Yes, unless you express a desire for me to prolong your wait."

Sookie frowned, "Why would I do that?"

Eric shrugged. "Being made to wait can intensify the orgasm."

"Can you show me?"

Smirking, Eric nodded. "Yes, I can, but first, I want to lick, suck and fuck you for several evenings, until you are cumming at liberty as many times as you damn well please. I want to be certain that you are capable of achieving satisfying orgasms without me giving you permission to do so."

Sookie squirmed in her seat. "Can we start when we get back to the house?" she asked breathlessly.

Eric gave her a Cheshire Cat grin. "Absolutely, Sookie."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review! It really gets my motive mobile revving!**

 **-Andi**


	8. Chapter 8

Never End

 _A/N: Good news, everyone (if you heard that in the voice I was aiming for, you can now expect terrible news.) As you all know, I do not stoop to addressing bad reviews in my direct words to you wonderful readers. However, seeing as this particular review could lead to nasty consequences, I am forced to speak about it._

 _This afternoon, a review popped up for Trouble Maker from the ff handle NO MA ALLOWED. Basically, it was a threat to remove all my "smutty" stories, or I would be reported to the moderators for content. Okay, fine, I broke the rules and HAVE been breaking the rules for about ten years. What can I say? I'm a rebel. Unfortunately, I have been a writer on this site for fourteen years since there used to be an NC-17 rating. Still, for the past fourteen years, I have shared my "smutty" stories with all of you (some of which are no longer available as I went through a huge expansion in my writing abilities and wanted to make a better name for myself) and somehow managed to stay under the radar of people like NO MA ALLOWED (who has only been a MEMBER for three or four hours. Darlin', I've been here since 2002. Can I be granfathered in or something?) and the moderators. Keep in mind that NMA plainly states that they merely want to enforce the rules. Of course, that's why MODERATORS exist for this site. Honestly, if it weren't for those of us who make up the seedy underbelly of Ffnet, it would probably go belly up. We'd all move on to a new and more liberal site._

 _I actually find this "threat" as a testament to my improvements as a writer and story teller. I'm out there, babies! Out there enough to get threats. I'm so proud! I was actually really excited by this "threat" because it gave me a solid view of the mythical creature known as Irony. Yes, to have my "smut" abhorred by an individual with a huge stick so far up their ass that they could star in a Gaping Porno brightened my day! So thank you, NO MA ALLOWED, you made me laugh this afternoon at work!_

 _So, now, you're probably all biting your nails, wondering what this all means and thinking, "Damn it, Andi, get to the point and let us know what will happen if you get exiled from ffnet!"_

 _ **IF** NO MA ALLOWED follows through with their threat and the moderators are forced to remove me, I will be taking refuge at Word Press. I had been hoping to start an account after the completion of Never End, slowly re-editing my stories and posting them there while still maintaining my account on ffnet. However, "slowly" might be expedited._

 _I hope to stay under the same handle of: dream7me7to7sleep. I've grown fond of it. If not, well, I'll think of something, but the story names will stay the same regardless. I hope that if I am indeed banned/deleted from ffnet, that you all feel compelled to reconvene on Word Press and share your ideas, curiosities, critiques and love for these stories. Don't worry, no ffnet moderator could pry a keyboard from my cold dead fingers. I will keep writing as long as I have words in my head that form a story._

 _I also hope that if you are a Word Press member already and your WP handle does not match your ff handle, you could sign your reviews ff:insert former handle here. I know and love you all, but unfortunately, only by your ff names, and I would hate to not realize that I am still hearing YOUR words._

 _LOVE AND PEACE to all of you!_

 _(The original A/N):Yippee! Another chapter prepared and ready for your enjoyment. I have been on a writing binge since Tuesday night, and let me tell you, the eye fatigue is brutal, but my fingers keep moving over the keys! What can I say? All of your reviews and support make it easy to work through the onset of blindness. Besides, my amazing beta, **msbuffy** , will catch anything my visually impaired corneas manage to overlook. So, thank you, everyone, for your responses, suggestions, kind words, and all that amazing "Muse Juice" you're offering. _

_-Andi_

 **Chapter Eight: All to Myself**

Sookie avoided crouching down to eye level with her dogs once they arrived at Eric's house. Her face was sore and tender so an abrasive tongue was not exactly appealing.

"Hey, my girls," Sookie spoke in a baby voice to her dogs as she leaned down to scratch, pet, and rub them both. The dogs circled several times whining at her in distress. "Have they been fed or walked?"

Eric grimaced. "I admit my worry over you had me running out the door immediately at first dark."

Sookie blanched. "Poor babies," she crooned to her dogs as she headed to the kitchen to put food in their travel bowls. The dogs greedily gobbled up their meals, and then whined some more while Sookie walked them to the back door.

Opening the threshold to the night air, Sookie let Eric usher her outside when the dogs tore off into the darkness. She felt his body sidle up behind hers, his arms wrapping loosely around her sides while his hips jutted forward to press against her rear. As he leaned his head toward her shoulder to nibble and suck he kept his chest curled away from Sookie's back to avoid her injuries.

Sookie moaned when Eric lightly clamped his teeth into the muscle between her neck and shoulder. "That feels so good," she whispered.

"Does it?" he asked in amused curiosity, his hands coming to her breasts and gripping them through her bra and shirt. "How does that feel?"

"Better!" she gasped when he aggressively yanked off the front of her shirt along with her bra until her breasts spilled forth just as they had in the bar's bathroom. Crossing his arms around her chest his palms held the weight of her bosom while his fingertips twisted and plucked once more at her nipples. "So good," she whimpered, wriggling her bottom against him. Her hands came up to hold his wrists as she settled her head over his shoulder.

When her hips found a steady rhythm Eric released her beautiful curves and trailed his hands sinuously down the front of her body until he was undoing her slacks. The inside of her panties were coated with the fluids he had left inside of her earlier that evening and the aroma perfumed the air causing Eric to press his erection harder against her ass while he let out a deep groan.

"You smell so good," he rasped in her ear rocking his bulge between the crease of her lower cheeks. His hand slipped beneath her panties and Eric felt her legs shift to widen her stance making his access easier.

"Yes, please," she breathed quietly when his fingers ghosted over her entrance.

"Is this what you want?" Eric asked quietly, his middle finger dipping into her hole while she nodded frantically. "Look at that, you take my finger so easily now!" He rained kisses along her shoulder as his ring finger joined the middle. "Two, nicely," He bit her shoulder as he attempted to coax his index finger inside of her. "Yet still so resistant for the third," Rocking his hand soothingly, his third finger finally managed to creep inside of her and Sookie rumbled deeply in her throat.

"Eric," she whimpered pleadingly as her hips moved in time with the thrusts of his fingers.

The need in her voice would have been obvious to a deaf man as his left hand slid over her clit and his right hand continued to thrust its fingers within her.

"Oh! Oh G- ERIC!" Her body tensed violently, curling over itself as Sookie struggled for completion. Eric struggled as well resisting the urge to tell her she could have anything and everything she wanted. He maintained his actions and speed as the woman in his arms writhed and strived under his efforts. "Please, oh please, please, please," she chanted beseechingly. He could feel her walls clenching around his digits, but they had not achieved the staccato of orgasm. He nibbled, thrust, rubbed, and licked her for several minutes, but to no avail. Sookie valiantly resisted her orgasm. "Eric, I can't!" she cried. "Eric, please. Please, tell me I can cum," she begged as she violently shook in his arms. He could feel the strain of her breath; feel her body trembling from near completion and exhaustion.

Reducing his pace, Eric let her body calm enough that she could catch her breath, but continued stimulating her.

"Girls," Eric called to the wayward dogs, "inside." As the dogs ran into the house, Eric removed his hands from Sookie's panties, turned her around, lifted her by her bottom, and carried her inside. "I can see this is going to take some time. Maybe you should be in a more relaxed position?" he suggested conversationally while Sookie trembled against his chest. Her eyes were dilated and glossy with yearning as she stared up at him in desperation.

Once they were standing in his bedroom, Eric made quick work of disrobing Sookie entirely rather than letting her remain in her shambled clothing. "Much better," he crowed when she stood naked before him. He reached up the bed, grabbing three of the pillows, and threw them on the floor at the foot of the bed.

Sookie looked at him curiously as he lay down with his head on one pillow with the other two on either side of his head. "Straddle me," he encouraged. Frowning, wondering why they could not just do this on the bed where her knees would not be digging into hardwood flooring, Sookie straddled his stomach as her hand reached behind her to rub the bulge in his pants. Eric chuckled. "Higher." She wriggled up to beneath his armpits, making Eric laugh only more. "Sookie, are you going to sit on my face or must I sit you there myself?"

Whimpering at his words, Sookie wriggled all the way up his body until her knees were planted on either side of his pillow-ensconced head. She scolded herself briefly for not grasping why he had placed the pillows that way. However, all self-irritation ceased when his mouth encased her sex and his arms locked her hips into place preventing Sookie from twisting away from his method. Her body was close enough to the edge of the bed so she could drape her upper half over it allowing all of her weight to be absorbed by either Eric or the mattress. None of her bruises were pressed upon in this position. None of her muscles needed to function to keep her upright. ' _Hell, I can't even smother him. I don't have to support my weight at all!'_

Sookie moaned into the mattress when Eric's tongue wriggled inside of her before returning to flicker, and then cover her taut clit.

"Mmm, Eric!" She shimmied against his mouth impatiently quickly reaching the brick wall she had hit outside on the patio. "So close!" she gasped with her hips bucking against his mouth involuntarily.

"I know," he mumbled against her sex pulling her down more firmly.

Again, he maintained the speed and intensity that had her walls fluttering in pre-orgasmic preparation. Yet again, her body resisted the urge to let loose. She stayed primed for climax for several minutes before Eric chose a new weapon in his sexual arsenal, one he had yet to subject Sookie to.

Vampire speed.

Almost instantly once his tongue began to move at the unimaginable speed, Sookie's body buckled and a scream was forcefully torn from her. Eric heard a distinct tearing sound during her wail and he wondered with humor if she had just ruined his duvet.

Easing back to a human speed, Eric continued lapping between her folds while Sookie noisily rode out her orgasm. Her hips were rocking against his face much like a woman in a saddle, she was sobbing into his mattress, and her thighs were clamped firmly around his ears while her pelvis ground against his mouth.

Eric continued his ministrations, having opened the proverbial 'flood gates' as it were. He brought her to orgasm several times after that, only resorting to vampire speed once more.

Satisfied that his oral skills were now receptive to her, Eric released her hip with one of his hands to reach down and open his pants. He managed to toe off his shoes and kick his legs free of his clothing without Sookie's realization. However, when he began sliding her away from his face, parting her knees just enough so that she could glide down the length of his body, she most certainly noticed.

"Ride me, Lover," he pleaded when she lingered just above the tip of his phallus.

Grinning lazily up at him, Sookie reached between her legs and held him steady as she swayed and shimmied onto him. She bit her lip in that way Eric found so sexy and he had to resist thrusting up to meet her. Instead, he kept his hips frozen in place enjoying the slow, circling motions of Sookie's hips as she found a sedate, yet solid rhythm. The way her body moved above him reminded Eric of a way a woman's body shifted as she danced to a song with a long, sultry beat; slow, intentional, sweeping motions, laced with well-paced twists and moves.

"You are so sexy, Sookie," Eric murmured beneath her while he trailed his hand between her legs to idly run his thumb across her clit. Sookie made a sweet, husky sound under her breath at his touch. He watched as his cock continually disappeared, and then reappeared beneath her, each time leaving more and more moisture against his pubic hair until he could actually feel her juices trickling down his balls.

After a while, Eric could feel her movements becoming uneven and he smiled up at her knowingly. "Getting tired?" he asked.

Sookie nodded, so Eric began moving his hips beneath her earning a groan as his thumb sped up its movements as well. When he felt her muscles twitch around him, he amped up his speed to the cusp between human and supernatural and grinned when he felt Sookie climax around him.

"Fucking perfect!" Eric praised while he thrust wildly beneath her and his own release coated her inner walls. His hand traced the one path along her back clear of bruises. "So perfect," he whispered, running his hand up and down that single trail.

Sitting up, he found her lips and kissed Sookie deeply as he slipped her off his softening cock and settled her onto the bed before getting the pillows left on the floor. "I do believe I have kept you long enough, Lover. Now, I think it is time for sleep."

"But..." Sookie pouted at him while she curled onto her side only to flinch, switch sides, and flinch again. Finally, she gave up and flopped onto her stomach. Eric came to lie on her left side so that she could look at him unhappily. "We were having such a break through!"

"Yes, we were," he agreed, grinning. "You were doing a very good job cumming when you wanted after we got past that first one." He curled up on his side so that they could look more easily into each others' eyes. "Still, you had more than a long day. You need to rest."

"I need you more."

Eric beamed at her comment. "It pleases me to hear you say that."

"I don't want to sleep," she admitted.

"Are you afraid of nightmares?" he asked quietly.

Sookie nodded. "I feel so good _right now_. I'm scared that once you're dead for the day and not distracting me, all that sadness and fear will return. I'm happy right now. I don't want that to go away."

Eric understood her logic, and he tried to make suggestions for her to avoid getting lost in her world of self-blame.

"Perhaps you should distract yourself tomorrow. What do you usually do on your days off?"

"Err... Go to the gym. Go for extra long runs with the girls. Laundry. Grocery shopping... I read. Sometimes I bring home cold cases," she admitted.

Eric sighed. "Out of that list, I only consider two and one-half of those distractions."

"Two and a half?"

"Running with your dogs and reading are good. The gym seems like a trying place for you to let go of work."

"Fine, Master of Relaxation, how do you suggest I unwind tomorrow?" she inquired playfully.

"If you were not so beaten up, I might have suggested a massage."

Sookie snorted, "Oh yeah, it's really relaxing having someone touching me while stressing over all of their problems."

"Ah, I neglected that a touch-related activity could actually cause you _more_ stress," Eric thought a moment. "What about shopping?"

"Oh my Gawd," Sookie rolled her eyes. "Do you really think I am _that girly_?"

"Yes," Eric nodded, making Sookie recoil, surprised. "You have lovely taste. The dress you wore the night we met speaks volumes to it. I noticed that it is the _only_ dress in your closet, however." He played with a tendril of her hair as he smiled at her knowingly. "Why did you buy it, Sookie?" he asked.

Nibbling her lip self-consciously, Sookie told him, "Trent had a crush on me all through Cadet Training. A few years after we joined the force he was thinking about asking me out. I never would have said yes to him, he's ridiculously loud for a Were. Mentally that is...Anyway, I saw the dress while I was heading to the Shoe Department for running shoes and I was already thinking about Trent wanting to ask me out... I really wanted the dress and I used a potential first date as an excuse to buy it."

"So, you like flattering, feminine things, but do not like to spend frivolously," Eric nodded in understanding.

"Well, I can't wear stuff like that to work, and if I go out it's usually after work, or with my dogs," she explained further.

"What about with me?" Eric asked.

"Hmm?" Sookie ran her hand down the smooth expanse of his chest, somewhat distracted.

"Would you wear things like that dress when I take you out?" he elaborated.

Sookie smiled coyly. "I'd rather stay _in_ with you."

"I would rather stay _in_ you as well. Nevertheless, there are plenty of restrooms, alleys, corridors, and other such hiding places in the world, Lover," Eric whispered in her ear. "I could fuck you in every single one of them and so much more discretely if you were in a skirt or dress."

Sookie's breath hitched. "I'll go shopping tomorrow."

"Would you like my credit card?" he offered amused when Sookie scowled. "I thought not," he said laughing, kissing her lips lightly.

"Why would I want your credit card?" she grumbled.

Eric gazed at her with an emotion that took her breath away. Devotion shone behind his eyes and Sookie was unaccustomed to the feel of such overwhelming passion directed toward her. "Because I want you to have everything."

"That's quite intense," she whispered breathlessly.

"To you, perhaps," he teased. "To me, it is natural. I have been curious about you for several years now; ever since Pam mentioned a human cop who could not be glamoured. I watched your career take off. I learned about your hometown and family. Of course, I kept my physical distance from you. After all, if my scent started popping up around your friends and family, other creatures would grow curious... Still, I studied you."

"Stalked sounds more accurate," she glowered playfully.

"Only a little," he bit his tongue. "Mostly, I only let myself to show acute interest in your career."

"So, did you know about my brother being arrested before I even came to your club?"

Eric snorted, "Actually, no. I had only heard about the dead fangbangers a few days before you showed up. I had not yet begun my own investigation. Vampire law enforcement moves much slower than human law enforcement. We do not feel compelled to solve most mysteries quickly. If it were not for the fact both women had been in my club, I would not have even heard about it before you showed up."

"Wow, y'all _do_ take your time," Sookie frowned disapprovingly.

"Vampires rarely take immediate action," he confessed. "We have eternity to act or seek retribution. If a matter involves a human we _may_ hasten our plans, but usually lie in wait a year or so just so we can feel the fear and confusion in their body when we come to administer punishment."

A shiver ran down Sookie's spine. "That's sadistic."

Eric shrugged. "Many vampires are sadists."

"Are you?"

Eric thought a moment. "I went through a period in my existence when I could have been labeled a sadist. However, I have grown old enough now to see and understand the ramifications of such a lifestyle. I still accept the occasional assassination charge from my Queen. Those requests though are usually for the True Death of a vampire."

Sookie crawled out of bed and put distance between her and Eric. He felt her Discomfort and Unease escalate at his confession, but he stayed on the bed, his face composed and calm.

"Vampirism has its very own set of laws, Sookie."

"You still murder humans on occasion!" Sookie snapped.

"I do."

Sookie's heart raced. "What am I doing?" she asked herself aloud, pacing naked and uncaring between the bed and the master bathroom. "Why did you tell me that?" she demanded.

"Have you never suspected that I am a murderer?" Eric asked her.

"Because it was so obvious I never thought about it!" she wailed.

"Sookie," Eric sat up in bed watching her patiently, "please calm down. You have never been an advocator of _law_ ; you have always fought for the safety of the public, not the upholding of rules."

"I'm a _cop,_ Eric! It's the same thing!"

The vampire held his fixed expression. "Sometimes protecting means removing dangers. The vampires and humans I have killed were a danger to other vampires and humans. Human laws do not properly protect vampires from the human dangers that did not exist prior to our thrust into the public eye. I have had to dispatch vampires who have not adhered to the new movements put into place so that we could exist openly amongst humans. Michael with his sex trafficking is an offense punishable by the True Death because it openly disregards our ban on blood and sex slavery."

"Then why hadn't you killed him before I stumbled onto it!?" Sookie asked in a harsh whisper.

Still patient, Eric explained, "Because he was not the leader of the ring. I was still investigating the true ringmaster when you burst in taking away all of my evidence and leads. Now, I have to _wait_ at least eighty years to properly maul the truth out of him before giving him the True Death."

"It wasn't just Michael's ring?"

"It was not."

Sookie stopped her pacing and sat on the end of the bed in deep thought. He could see the injured side of her face trembling as she attempted to scrunch it in concentration, but the swelling only managed to cause the flesh to flutter around her eye and temple.

"You can think of me however works best for you, Sookie. Murderer, vigilante, or... Or you can remember that my job is the same as yours, to keep members of my community safe from the dangers around them."

Sookie remained quiet for a lengthy time. Finally she uttered, "I like that last one best."

Eric smiled and relief flooded his features. "Thank you. So do I." Glancing at the spot she had vacated beside him, Eric asked almost shyly, "Will you come back and lie with me?"

When she silently agreed by crawling onto her stomach beside him, Eric gently kissed the three loud bruises on her back. "Maybe we should share some information," Sookie began after a thoughtful moment.

"Oh?"

"When we're investigating?" Sookie offered. "That way we won't step on each others' toes if we have another crossover in crimes."

Eric chuckled, kissing the bruise on her face just as carefully as the ones on her back. "I suppose we could do that," he told her.

"Why do I feel like you see this as agreeing to take a kid to Disney World?" Sookie griped.

"Because I _do_ feel like a child going to Disney World," he countered.

"I meant me. It feels as if you are looking at _me_ like a kid you're agreeing to take to Disney."

Eric shook his head. "No, I am the one getting the treat in this case. You are letting me in deeper and deeper. It makes me... Exuberant."

"Flashy word."

"It is how I feel. You cannot believe the relief it is to me... For you to see most of all that I am, and still lie beside me so vulnerably."

Shifting closer to him, Sookie draped her leg over his hips and placed her head on his chest. "I have never known the happiness you've given me in such a short amount of time," she murmured. "You could tell me that you are one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and I still don't think I'd be able to walk away from you."

Hands finding the safe path along her back free of bruising, he slowly trailed his fingertips across her skin once more. "I hope that the timing does not put you off."

"Timing?"

"How quickly we got to this point, emotionally and physically."

Sookie surprised him by laughing. "Honestly, I think quickly is the only way I would have managed to get to this point. Any longer and I would have chickened out... As far as my feelings for you though... Well, I'm taking a gamble on you, Eric. Either way I think I'll win. I'll finally have something I'll never lose or I will lose the greatest romance in the history of the world. Still, the sex alone is worth the risk."

Eric kissed her lips amusedly. "You are the only one of us that could end this, Sookie. I am not going anywhere."

{†}

Sookie awoke the next morning feeling as though she had been hit by a truck. Between her injuries sustained on the job, and then hours of vampire loving, she felt bowlegged and as though all of her joints had been welded together.

A long, hot shower and a change of clothes helped somewhat, but it was not until an hour after popping some Aleve that she felt most of her body stop protesting.

Alone with her dogs and her thoughts, Sookie took a canister of tennis balls outside and threw them around the spacious yard while she thought over all that had happened in the last thirty-six hours. She had sex for the first time, had been shot for the first time, taken a life on the job for the first (and hopefully last) time, had sex in a public restroom, and she had been forced to acknowledge that her boyfriend was a killer.

Then she started again with the last of her musings. Eric was a murderer. Of course, his considerable age and the era in which he began his life brought a hailstorm of complications involving his attitude on the matter. He had been a Viking in his former life. His livelihood had revolved around pillaging and raiding settlements, born in battle, and living with death all around. It was a life that she could not begin to comprehend, and she settled for thinking of it as the life of a soldier today. Of course, it was an incomparable metaphor, but it was the best parallel she could find to equate the two.

Even before being turned, Eric had known and been comfortable with death. His comparison of his responsibilities being similar to hers in a law enforcement career had helped bridge the gap, yet she still did not feel that their roles were all that similar. Eric seemed more like Special Ops to her rather than a cop.

Then Sookie thought about all of the sex and sex-related activities she had partaken in the last two days. In her opinion, nothing regarding that could ever get any better. The level of perfection she experienced under his skilled tutelage would be forever unrivaled. She felt enslaved to his prowess. Eric could command her to bend over the conference table at work and she had zero to little inhibition of doing just that if it was what he asked of her.

Finally, Sookie thought about being shot and, in turn, that reminded her of the life she had taken. There was guilt, plenty of guilt; at the same time, there was acceptance. Nina would not have stopped firing until she ran out of bullets or killed her. That was a clear fact. Still, Sookie wondered if Nina could have actually killed her. There had only been one bullet left in the revolver. If Sookie had let her empty the round, would the detective been able to take Nina in alive?

' _It doesn't matter,'_ Sookie told herself firmly. Nina had been advancing; a bullet had already zipped past Sookie's ear while the prostitute drew closer. Three of the four shots had hit her, and the last had been deadly close to achieving Nina's goal. ' _If I hadn't fired, I would be dead.'_

Though these thoughts barely eased Sookie's sadness, they _did_ manage to soothe her conscience. No one had put the gun in Nina's hand or told her to fire on an officer. That had been Nina's choice, and, in turn, forced Sookie to respond with deadly results.

' _My life is more important to me.'_

Nodding with unsure acceptance, Sookie threw another tennis ball for Junes while Mags tore off for the one further away.

Sookie reached into her pocket and took out her cell phone. She realized she should call her Gran. The news would probably hit Bon Temps any minute and it was her duty to assure her grandmother that she was well.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey, Gran, it's Sookie," the young woman softly spoke.

" _Good morning, dear. How are you?"_ Adele asked cheerily though Sookie could hear a bit of unease in her voice.

"I'm good," Sookie replied. "I was wondering if you read any news from Shreveport this morning…"

" _Not yet."_

This surprised Sookie. Gran was notorious for reading all of the local headlines, including the happenings in Shreveport ever since Sookie had moved there. "Oh well, when you get around to it, you might read about an officer-related shooting and I just wanted you to know I am fine."

" _Were you involved?"_ Gran asked and the terror rose in her voice.

Sookie sighed, "Yes, I was. I wasn't hurt though."

" _What happened?"_

"A suspect was running and I pursued on foot. I took him down a quarter mile away. Shots were fired by the guy's girlfriend and I was forced to shoot her." Sookie waited with baited breath.

" _What happened to the girl?"_ Gran asked breathlessly.

"She died before the ambulance could get there," Sookie told her quietly.

" _Were you hit?"_ Sookie groaned internally.

"Yes, but my vest took it all," There was no point worrying her Gran by mentioning a bullet had passed within inches of her head.

" _Oh God!"_ Adele cried. _"Are you all right? Where were you hit? Have you been to the hospital? What did the doctor say?"_

"I'm fine. I was shot in the back. Yes, I've been to the hospital. The doctor said I'll have some major bruising, but I had no broken bones."

There was a long silence before Gran sighed, _"I've always been terrified of this day. Ever since you were a little girl and you told me you wanted to be a police officer... all I could think of was you getting shot."_

"I'm fine. Do you want me to come over just so you can see I'm perfectly healthy?" Sookie offered.

" _That would be nice, dear..."_ Again there was hesitation in Adele's voice that unsettled the younger woman.

"Okay, I'll get Mags and Junes packed up and be there in an hour," Sookie told her. "Bye, Gran. Love you, see you soon!"

Sookie hung up and called her dogs inside. When she went to get their leashes, Sookie stopped in Eric's room and wrote a note for him.

 _~Eric,_

 _I'm going to Bon Temps to visit my Gran. I should be home before nightfall, but if I'm not, I thought you might worry. Depending on when I leave Gran's, I might just go straight back to my apartment, so I'm taking my stuff with me. Call me when you rise!_

 _Your girlfriend,_

 _Sookie_

She drew a little heart after her name that she considered scribbling out, but she left it and began packing her overnight bag.

Items in hand, Sookie went to the kitchen and packed up her dogs' travel items, and then ushered the dogs out the door and engaged the security system before going to her car.

The drive to Bon Temps was quiet. Mags and Junes curled on the backseat, licking one another periodically before one would rise, lean over her seat, and lick the unbruised portion of her face. Sookie grimaced once she realized Gran would see her disfigured left side and go into hysterics.

Pulling up to the old farmhouse nearly forty-five minutes after calling, Sookie saw her Gran rocking on the front porch.

"Oh my goodness!" Gran shrieked, seeing the bruising and rushing her geriatric legs down off the porch. "What happened!?" she demanded.

Sookie laughed lightheartedly while she went to the rear door of her car to let the dogs out. "I told you I was in pursuit of a suspect. This sort of thing happens on occasion when people resist arrest."

Mags and Junes loped around the familiar yard while the women returned to the porch.

"I hate that you're in law enforcement!" Gran stated crossly for the billionth time in seven years.

"I know you do, but some good came out of it that even _you_ will appreciate."

"Oh?"

"When I went to check out some leads for Jason's situation I met someone."

Gran froze. "Met someone?" she asked with anticipation.

"Yes. His name's Eric Northman. I should tell you though, he's a vampire."

"I don't care! Sookie! You have a boyfriend!?" she claimed happily.

Sookie laughed. "Yes, I do."

"That's wonderful, dear!" Gran hugged her tightly.

 _'Just in time!'_

"In time for what?" Sookie frowned, catching the thought from the contact though she always tried to resist listening in on her family.

Gran's face paled. "Sookie," she began hesitantly, "you know that I'm getting old."

"NO!" Sookie shouted, rising quickly from the porch swing and covering her ears, but she had already seen the memories of doctors' offices and regretful faces.

"Dear, everyone gets cancer if they live long enough," Gran said soothingly and reached to take Sookie's hand.

"No!" she yelled again, yanking her hand away.

"I've been suspecting things were wrong for some time now. I didn't get diagnosed until a few days ago. That's why I haven't been... around when you wanted to come and visit these past weeks... I didn't know how to tell you what I suspected until it was confirmed and I didn't want you to _hear_ it by accident."

"How long?" Sookie demanded.

Adele sighed, easing back into the porch swing. "Maybe another month or two."

"Are you doing chemo?" She eyed her grandmother's hair suspiciously.

"No, I opted to forgo treatment."

" _Why_!?"

"I'm ready, Sookie. I miss your Granddaddy and my children," she confessed. Sookie plopped heavily on the porch floor, staring at her hands numbly. "I would really like to meet your boyfriend soon," Gran said gently. "It would be nice to meet the man who finally caught your eye... To see that you're taken care of..."

"Gran, we've been dating two days... Officially."

"Regardless, I'd still like to meet him." Sookie let out a groan. "I've already made my funeral plans so you and Jason have nothing to worry about there. I'm leaving you this house..." She gestured weakly to the old farmhouse.

"It's not home without you," Sookie murmured.

"I know, Sookie," Gran whispered sympathetically.

Brushing a stray tear, Sookie cringed when she pressed too hard on the bruising. "You should leave it to Jason. I have no use for it. I'm never coming back to Bon Temps if you're not here."

"Jason already has a house."

"I'll never use it. Give it to Jason."

Adele sighed at her granddaughter's stubbornness. "We still have a little time. Think about it."

Sookie nodded if only to placate her grandmother for the moment.

"It's my time, Sookie. At least there's still time to spend together and say proper goodbyes."

"I don't want to talk about it," Sookie whispered. "Does Jason know?"

"Not yet. He was only released from jail the other day. It felt like a bad time to tell him. I didn't want to let you know just yet either. Not with being shot..." Her eyes squeezed shut. "Can't you find _something_ less dangerous?"

"You sound like Eric."

"He seems like a smart man. How did he react to what happened?"

Sookie frowned. "He was terrified... My face alone left him speechless. When the Captain said I'd been shot, he looked paler than I've ever seen. That's saying something for a vampire."

"Do you like him?"

"Very much."

"Do you love him?"

Sookie froze at the question. "It's only been two weeks that we've known each other."

"Sometimes that's all it takes," Gran pressed.

Sookie rose from the floor and began pacing. "I don't know what my feelings are for him. I want to spend as much time as I can with him. My heart races when he's near. He takes care of my dogs for me when I'm running late at work. He's protective and patient...but _love_? The only person I've ever loved is you. I don't know what it feels like to love someone romantically," she confessed.

Gran nodded in understanding. "Well, it sounds like you're in the early relationship glow right now. Maybe, in a few months..."

"After you're gone," Sookie rasped.

"Yes," Gran agreed.

"I don't know if I can fall in love while my heart's breaking," Sookie whispered.

The women talked for another hour, both trying desperately to avoid the topics related to Adele's impending death. When their conversation lulled into an awkward silence, Sookie collected her dogs and drove back to Shreveport.

Returning to her apartment, Sookie got everything settled and sat quietly on the couch. It was nearing dusk before she moved again and fed her dogs who were whining for an early meal. Once they were eating, Sookie grabbed her keys and left.

She drove around Shreveport aimlessly for fifteen minutes before finding herself back in Eric's driveway.

Getting out of her car, Sookie went to the front door singling out the spare key she had put on her ring the morning before. As she entered the house, she hit the alarm code and shut the front door locking it behind her. Sookie toed off her shoes and began stripping off her clothes until she was in her underwear in front of Eric's bedroom door. She punched in the second code and entered the bedroom, surprised to see Eric sitting up in bed reading. It was not yet first dark.

"Sookie," Eric greeted her carefully. Her emotions had him worried upon rising and her note gave him pause.

"You didn't call," Sookie murmured, walking to the bed and curling up against his side.

"I could feel your depression. I wanted to wait and see what you would do rather than call. You have a habit of believing your needs are some sort of burden on me, and I did not want you to think that if I offered to console you it would be out of obligation," he explained. "Are you depressed about yesterday again?"

Sookie shook her head. "No. I think I'm in a good place with that, all things considered."

"What happened?"

Taking a deep breath Sookie told him, "I went to see Gran... She told me she has cancer. She's dying."

Eric carefully pulled her to his side ever mindful of her bruises. "I am sorry, Sookie."

"I'm scared," she whispered.

"I know."

"Why is everything happening all at once? The best and worst parts of my life are happening at the same time!" she gasped around a wave of tears.

Eric kissed the top of her head. "Perhaps the universe saw the impending darkness coming for you and wanted to alleviate some of that pain with something good for you."

"Ego much?" she mumbled into his side.

"Very much," he agreed. "I would not have been my first choice either, but it seems I am whom you are stuck with at the moment."

"I want a very long moment."

"How long?"

"It might just be the onset of grief talking, but I want to say 'forever'."

"Then let us aim for forever."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: I know, I know, I'm a terrible person. We get René behind bars, and we still are going to lose Adele!? My sincerest apologies for making Gran a casualty of my "Muse War", but I was insisted upon that it was a necessary evil. I hope that you all still feel compelled to review this chapter, and not in response to the above rant about NMA. Thanks, and see you all again real soon whether it be here or WP!**

 **Oh, and one last thing to add. You will be getting a bonus chapter on Wednesday (assuming I am still alive on ffnet that day) in honor of Thanksgiving. My non North American readers, please enjoy the USA holiday gift you are reaping!**

 **-Andi**


	9. AN

Ok, guys, I appreciate the response that review got from your POSITIVE actions of finding me on WP and showing your support. However, I have had a reader pop on to the Trouble Maker review page anonymously and is trying to antagonize NMA. If you do not wish for me to be pushed out by the mods, then this sort of thing CAN NOT be happening. I admit I took a cheap shot in my last chapter's A/N at NMA. It was petty, but this particular problem is mine to deal with.

Therefore, if we all wish to be able to enjoy the stories on FF, we cannot antagonize the threat. Fighting like that is not going to do a thing to keep me on here. Antagonizing NMA is only going to piss off the mods, and I will be removed that much sooner. I cannot personally think of a single one of my readers that would do something like this, and would be surprised if any of your names were linked to that anonymous review. That is why I am hoping this is the actions of someone who does not understand FF politics and is not one of my loyal readers and reviewers.

One person making waves isn't going to bring us down, guys. If that were the case, the administrators would have wiped me off the slate years ago! So ignore NMA. Ignore this whole deal. Hell, ignore this A/N because you shouldn't have to bother reading it. We're all adults (or should be considering the material I write!), we know how to be adults, so I'm turning the other cheek. If there's something you want to say about this whole situation, then just PM me directly, but let's just keep this whole messy business OFF the public boards, okay?

Please, everyone keep in mind that starting a fight here is pointless. We all have a place to run at WP.

dream7me7to7sleep dot wordpress dot com

So, let's just keep trucking like we have been. In your reviews talk about the STORY not this NMA mess, not the A/Ns I've been forced to post to keep you all in the loop of where to FIND MY STORIES. If it had not been for the fact that I needed to make you all aware of why I might suddenly vanish from FF and wanted to give you all a haven to find my stories in that terrible event, I would not have shared the circumstances that brought the sudden necessity. Please, let's all enjoy the stories and let sleeping dogs lie.

-Andi


	10. Chapter 9

**Never End**

 _A/N: Hello, my dear readers! Here is your Thanksgiving Special, coming out at midnight (my time) as promised! I wanted to get this chapter out as early as possible while still being_ technically _Wednesday. Just like many of you, I have cleaning and preparing to do for inbound guests, and I knew there would be little to no time for after I wake up in the morning! Please enjoy, have a very thankful holiday, and for those of you traveling: be safe!_

 _As always, thank you to **Msbuffy** for her hard work on proofing/editing/keeping me sane!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Nine: Stay**

"Sookie," Eric's voice murmured in her ear, "time to get up."

Sookie groaned at the voice and tried to swat away the tickling breath of his rumble against her ear. "Don't wanna," she grumbled.

"You wanted to run with the girls before work this morning," he reminded amusedly.

Pouting, Sookie rolled onto her side with less pain than the previous day. "What... Where... Oh crap! It's Monday! I spent the night again! Oh no, Mags, Junes-"

"Are here," he reminded softly. "I went and got them around 1 A.M."

"I don't remember."

"You were crying quite persistently last night. You cried yourself to sleep around eight, I woke you up to eat something. We talked some more. You cried some more. You fell asleep again around midnight, and I held you for a while before going back to your apartment and getting your dogs and some clothes for you. They slept in here with you while I did some work. I kicked them out as dawn drew closer, though."

"I don't remember much of any of that," she admitted, trying to to recall shreds of the previous night.

"You were quite distraught. During one of your breakdowns, you kept asking 'why', a lot of 'it's not fair' comments, and many 'what do I do's."

Sookie played with the duvet self-consciously as Eric relayed information on the previous night. "Thanks for taking care of me."

Eric pushed a tendril of hair from her face. "I will always take care of you," he promised.

"How are you still conscious?" she asked abruptly after a long silence.

"I am quite old, Sookie. I can remain aware several hours past dawn. However, you expressed, sleepily, last night that you wanted to go running with your dogs before work, so I thought I should raise you at dawn so you could do that if you still wished."

"I think a run would be good for all three of us," she agreed.

"Well, remember your keys, and do not get lost," he suggested. "I will have to succumb to the sun soon," he warned.

"Okay. Sleep or... whatever it is you do. Do it well." She leaned in and kissed his smiling lips. "I'll come back tonight," she promised.

"Perhaps you should swing by your apartment and get some more clothes. You may hang them in my closet. There is no need to live out of a duffle bag," he pointed out.

"I'll do that." Sookie paused before getting out of bed. Blanching at him in an apologetic manner she asked, "You didn't happen to grab some sweats when you grabbed my work clothes, did you?"

"It just so happens that I did," Eric replied with a smirk.

Giving him another quick kiss, she murmured, "You're the best boyfriend," before hopping out of bed.

"You are certainly spry for a woman so battered."

Sookie shrugged off his observation. "After the first day, you get used to the pain. I can lie on my sides just fine now. Lying on my back isn't too bad, just so long as I don't sleep like that. Obviously, pressure on the bruises hurts, but it doesn't take my breath away anymore... Well, I guess it would if you intentionally pressed directly on one of them, but I know you wouldn't do that."

"I would not," he agreed.

Going over to her duffle, Sookie found the sweats that Eric had packed, and quickly threw on a sports bra and t-shirt before tugging the pants on. Lacing up her running shoes, Sookie turned back to the bed and lunged towards the reclined vampire one last time, kissing his mouth slow and languidly. "I'll see you tonight," she murmured against his mouth.

"Tonight," he agreed.

{†}

"How are you doing, Stackhouse?" Captain Kleinman asked carefully as Sookie arrived at her desk.

Giving him a sad smile, she replied, "I could definitely be better... I uh... I guess I should let you know that I'll need some time off in the near future." Her Captain frowned, deep lines of worry etching into his brow. "My Gran was diagnosed with liver cancer. She told me yesterday, and... It's already pretty far along. The Doc told her she might have a couple months left, but it could be less..."

Her captain's face seemed to reflect the breaking of Sookie's own heart. "I am so sorry, Stackhouse," he tried to pat her back sympathetically, but he paused, not quite certain where her injuries were. "Just let me know when you need time. If you want to take some time off now and spend it with your grandmother, everyone would understand."

"No... I'm not really ready to do that," she whispered quietly. It would feel too real for her to start spending time saying goodbye. "Maybe after the news isn't so... Fresh."

"She's the one who raised you and your brother after your parents passed, right?" Kleinman asked gently.

Sookie responded with a slow nod, resisting the urge to wrap her arms around herself in a faux hug. She could not bear to show that much weakness after yesterday. "That's right."

The captain hesitantly patted her shoulder, wanting to show her comfort, but knowing that Stackhouse did not like being touched, and he still could not quite remember where all her injuries were. "I'm sorry that you're going to experience the loss of a parent for a third time," he murmured.

Sookie shrugged, grateful when Kleinman took his hand from her shoulder. "I guess there are some things I'm not meant to have for very long."

With a heavy exhale, Kleinman looked at Sookie's desk, "Well, I guess I made you feel awkward enough for one morning. Get to work on your incident report from Saturday, and I set up an appointment for you with the shrink." Sookie groaned, making Kleinman give her a ghost of a grin. "1:30. Don't be late."

Sitting down at her desk, Sookie booted up her computer, and started stacking her files related to the Jacobs case while she waited for the monitor to compile. Once she had her office document opened, Sookie went to work finishing her incident report, as well as writing the remainder of her case file on the entire Jacobs fiasco.

It was barely noon when Sookie finished her papers, and she eyed the clock warily, not looking forward to her one-thirty appointment with Dr. Silva, the department psychologist. Reaching for her phone, she called the hospital, requesting to speak with Marla Jacobs.

"Hello, Marla, it's Detective Stackhouse," Sookie tried to say brightly.

" _Detective! I'm so happy to hear from you! The officer that's been watching my door told me what happened the other day. Are you all right? I heard Daniel hit you, but the officer showed me pictures of what you did back to him. I laughed! I can't believe it, but I fucking_ _ **laughed**_ _! And you killed his girlfriend-"_ Sookie blanched at the blatant remark, _"-and now I won't even have to worry about her coming after me! You are an angel! A fucking angel!"_

"I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better, Marla. I just wanted to check in, and make certain that you knew you weren't in danger anymore-"

" _All thanks to you, Detective!"_

"Well," Sookie wanted to cut the conversation short, "I have paperwork to finish up. Take good care of yourself."

Sookie hung up the phone quickly after that and stared in bewilderment. _"And you killed his girlfriend-"_

A cold shiver ran down her spine, and Sookie snapped back from her desk. She needed to be moving, she needed to work out. Anything to warm her body back up.

"Hey, Stackhouse," Trent stopped the woman on her way out of the department.

"Hey, Trent," Sookie replied, heading towards the station's gym.

"Gym?"

"Yup," she nodded.

"Company?"

"Sure."

Trent turned around and followed her towards the workout room, splitting up to go their own locker rooms. When Sookie emerged moments later, hair pulled up, tank top and loose shorts replacing her button down and slacks, Trent looked her over.

"Shit, that's some impressive bruising," he commented when she walked in front of him, exposing the purple and black discoloration that was creeping up her left shoulder blade.

"It doesn't hurt too bad now," she assured.

"One of the veteran officers said you get used to it after a bit. They still hurt, but you just stop noticing the pain."

"That's about the best I could describe it," she agreed.

"Oh, one of my buddies in the Sheriff's Department called and told me they started investigating Saturday's shooting this morning. He assured me it's pretty cut and dry. You should be cleared by next Monday."

"That's good to know," Sookie murmured.

"You doing okay?" Trent asked softly as he went to the free weights. Sookie followed him, stretching as he dove right into his workout.

"I'm dealing with it. I'd much rather her be dead and me alive than the other way around." Her tone told Trent to drop the conversation, and he quickly obliged.

They exercised in relative silence until Sookie had a half hour to shower, change back into her office clothes, and get to the department shrink.

She took her time in the shower, and then fussed uncharacteristically over her hair, taking her time to dry it when she would normally throw it into a tight, wet bun. Arriving in front of Dr. Silva's office door, Sookie paused briefly before knocking.

Dr. Silva answered as though he had been waiting on the other side, hand poised over the handle, waiting for her knock.

He was in his mid-forties. His brown hair was flecked with gray that graduated to solid silver chunks near his sideburns. His eyes were a dull brown, and his mouth wore a seemingly permanent scowl.

"Detective Stackhouse," he attempted to give her a smile that made the lines in his face protest the unfamiliar movement, "come in and have a seat." He gestured loosely to the leather chair and couch. Sookie sat in the chair while Silva sat behind his desk. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Workouts make too much blood flow to my injuries," she admitted sheepishly.

"And how are you feeling emotionally?" Silva asked.

"Drained," Sookie wanted to be forthcoming and get through the interview. "On top of killing a teenage girl on Saturday, I just found out my Gran has terminal cancer."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I've read in your file that your grandmother raised you from the age of seven. Is that correct?" he asked, his voice sympathetic.

"Yeah. She raised me and my brother after our parents were killed in a flash flood," Sookie told him.

"Your brother was under arrest last week, as well," Silva commented. "How does that affect you? Having all of these hardships thrust on you all at once?"

Sookie thought for a moment. "Well, my brother's always in some sort of trouble. It was stressful not being able to help him, but I took it in stride. As far as all of this... Well, my boyfriend definitely got to see me at some of my worst over the weekend."

 _This is not the Detective Stackhouse I expected. She's usually so guarded. Why isn't she fighting this? Where is her sarcasm? Where are all of her walls?_

"You have a boyfriend now?" Silva asked conversationally.

Sookie nodded. "Yeah, we started dating a few days ago, but we've known each other about two weeks now."

"How long ago was your last relationship?" Silva asked.

Sookie squirmed.

 _There are those walls!_

"Er... You won't put my answer in the file, will you?"

 _What a strange question._

"No, this is just me feeling you out. Your romantic life has no business in this report. I am just trying to understand where you are mentally," Silva assured her.

Sookie bit her lip self-consciously. "Well... This is my first relationship... Ever... Of any kind."

The Detective had to give Silva credit. Despite the disbelief running through his head, his face remained perfectly composed. _Ever!? Of_ _ **any**_ _kind? Is she a virgin, too? Wait, everyone's been talking that she finally 'got some'... Hmm, she slept with him after only two weeks of knowing him?_

"Are you in a potentially long term relationship with your boyfriend?" Silva asked.

"We're hoping so. Eric has told me he wants us to be long term. Currently, that's what I want, too. He knows I have no idea how to have a relationship, and he's trying to make it as easy on me as possible. He makes me happy."

"Were you unhappy before him?"

"No. I don't think I was much of anything before him. I had little that I wanted. My job, my family and my dogs were all I cared about. To be frank, I think I'd be a lot worse off emotionally after all of this if Eric weren't in my life."

"How does that bode with your independent streak?" Silva asked.

Brow furrowing as she considered the question, Sookie admitted, "I don't know that 'independent' is the word I would use to describe myself. I mean, I obviously am. I pay my own way for everything I have, but the way you're using that word doesn't have the same context as opposed to the definition."

Silva's confusion showed on his face, "How do you believe I meant it?"

"Before Eric, I was independent in the truest form of the word, not just because I believe in being able to take care of myself, but because I was extremely isolated. I kept people at a distance, not because I was an introvert, but because trusting someone, letting someone in was terrifying. Giving someone the power to hurt me, to abandon me..."

"Would you say you have abandonment issues?" Silva asked gently.

"There's no way to deny it. I've run away from people my whole adult life."

"Where do you think those fears came from?"

"You've read my personal file," Sookie pointed out. "My parents both died when I was seven. My cousin, who was like a sister to me, ran away when I was eleven. My aunt committed suicide when I was fourteen. My best friend washed her hands of me when I became a cop. My own home town calls me a freak for my hyper-observation. My brother doesn't talk to me anymore because I didn't get him out of a DUI... Now my Gran, who has been the only one to stand with me, is going to die in a matter of months."

"Are you concerned that you might be forcing your new boyfriend to fill all of the roles you've lost over the years?"

"Like a surrogate?" Sookie asked.

"Yes."

She shook her head. "In a way, I think he takes on roles that he feels I need him to. He knows that I'm cautious, distrusting even. He's patient and tries to protect me from things he thinks I'm not aware of."

"Such as?"

"How painful being a cop can be. He thinks I don't know how stressed I really am."

"How stressed are you?"

"Depends on the day... He may or may not realize that he's overreacting. That, despite my hyper-observation, I'm not much more worse for wear than anyone else."

"Are you certain of that?"

"It hasn't broken me yet," she answered candidly.

"It's not the same thing," he protested calmly.

"Maybe not, but being a cop is all I've ever wanted."

"Do you want more now?"

Sookie smiled her secret smile. "Yes... I really think I do."

"Well," Silva rose from behind his desk, "I think that is a good place to stop for the day."

Sookie froze in her chair. "You're not giving me an all clear," she accused.

Silva smiled at her sympathetically, "No, I'm not."

"Why?"

"Because I truly don't feel that you're ready." He sat down on the couch nearer her. "I would actually like to suggest that you take some time off. I want to recommend to your captain that we put you on paid administrative leave during the Shooting Team and Sheriff departments' investigation."

"What am I suppose to do for a week?"

"Or two," Silva wanted to make the possibility known. Sookie's heart dropped into her stomach. "Perhaps you can spend time with your new boyfriend? Your grandmother? Do not think of this as a punishment. Think of it as a mental wellness vacation."

"What did I do wrong?" she asked desperately.

 _Absolutely nothing. That's the problem._ "Nothing, Sookie. I'm just concerned that you've reached this level of acceptance so quickly. I've known for a while that this job effects you a lot more than you let on."

"You've never even spoken to me before," she grumbled defensively.

"I've watched your interviews with IA."

Sookie was well aware that Internal Affairs avidly watched her interrogations. At first, they believed she knew far too much information from observation alone, and were suspicious that she had actually been involved with similar crimes.

"So, you see," Silva continued, "I do know a little bit about you."

"Then, it's either administrative leave or..?"

"There really isn't an 'or'." Silva refused to let up.

"It really feels like a punishment," Sookie whispered.

"I'm sure it does. I do regret that it feels this way to you."

"What do I do now?"

Silva frowned, "I would suggest you finish up anything you do not believe can wait for your return. I will get the paperwork for your leave through the proper channels, and Captain Kleinman will call you to his office at the end of the day to hold your badge and service ID until the investigation is over."

"That's it, then?"

"Yes. I will call you in after a few days, and we will have another meeting like this one. I want you to know, though, despite how the meeting goes, it will not get you back to work any sooner," he warned. "It is just a check-in."

"Right," Sookie mumbled, rising from her seat. "See ya in a few days." She waved half-heartedly and left the room.

Going back to her desk, Sookie sat motionless for a while, staring at her blank screen and the clutter of files strewn across the table. Eventually she went through the robotic actions of clearing her desk and finishing her reports. By the end of the day she was clicking her pen anxiously and earning glares from Murphy for the obnoxious expression of nervous energy.

Finally, Captain Kleinman called her to his office, and Sookie let out a suffering sigh.

"I know you already know what's going on," Kleinman grumbled. "I was hoping Silva wouldn't take this route with you, but he's the shrink, and I'm going to trust his judgement."

"I know you're worried about me," Sookie murmured. "You've always had my back."

Kleinman smiled. "Always will."

"I'm not going to pitch a fit, you know. You can just give me the papers to sign. I hand over my badge and I.D... Let's not draw this out."

Kleinman sighed as he pushed the paperwork towards her. She read through it quickly and then signed her name at the bottom. Next, she took out her wallet, removed her badge and I.D, and handed them over to her captain.

"I'm gonna call and check up on you," Kleinman warned. "You take care of yourself."

"Yes, Sir." Sookie gave him a weak smile, turned, and left his office.

After grabbing anything she would need from her desk, throwing it into her duffle, and retrieving her necessities from her gym locker, Sookie finally went to her car. She drove to her apartment without calling Eric. She knew he would be _thrilled_ to hear that she had been put on administrative leave, and she was unsure if her temper could handle his smugness.

Instead, she arrived at her building, went up the three flights of stairs to her apartment, and began packing several days worth of clothes as well as more dog food. When she was certain she had everything she needed, Sookie went back to her car and stopped at a grocery store. She was tired of eating out every meal when she stayed at his place.

"Fancy meeting you here, Detective Stackhouse." Sookie's spine straightened at the voice behind her as she strolled down the wine and beer aisle of the market.

"Ms. Ravenscroft," Sookie answered, turning as well. "I was not aware that you were a Connoisseur." She gestured to the aisle.

"I do not drink... _Wine,_ " Pam replied in her best Bela Lugosi impersonation. At Sookie's amused smirk, she offered, "I have a guest. Since she intends to offer me a beverage, I was inclined to return the favor."

Sookie nodded. "I see."

"And you?"

Shyly, Sookie shuffled her foot. "There's no food at Eric's place."

"I would suppose not." Pam eyed the human before her momentarily. "You realize, Eric will be at Fangtasia tonight, yes?"

"Oh," Sookie scuffed her toe against the cheap tile, "I didn't know that."

"He has been neglecting his duties as Sheriff these past few evenings. There has been talk," Pam offered.

"I'm sorry that I've distracted him."

Pam shrugged. "Do not be. Though I can't comprehend what it is you've done to him, I have seen such a thing before."

"Have you?" Sookie asked quietly, sounding almost nervous. Had Eric been this way with another woman before? How long ago had that been? He had said he had tried monogamy before, and she wondered how deeply he had cared for the last woman for whom he had attempted it.

"Yes, with his Maker."

Sookie looked up at Pam in surprise. "His Maker?"

"Godric," Pam supplied a name.

"What happened to Godric?" Sookie pressed, wondering if this was the last one-on-one relationship Eric had been in.

Pam lifted her shoulders, her hands rising as if to say 'things like these _do_ happen', "He fell in love. You know, for nearly one thousand years, Eric was his only progeny. Then, suddenly, around the time of the World's Fair, Godric summoned us to Chicago. He had met a woman there. Her name is-"

" _Is?_ " Sookie frowned. _How old_ _ **is**_ _this woman?_

Pam huffed in annoyance at being interrupted. "I'm getting to that!" she snapped. "Her name _is_ Emily. Absolutely _gorgeous_ girl. A little younger than I'd prefer, but she fits Godric's age range well enough. I think Godric has a type. Blonde hair, blue eyes." Pam rolled her eyes. "Then again, I suppose it is the type of Godric's bloodline." She gestured to her own face and then Sookie's. "Eric and I could not believe how suddenly Godric had changed. He had gone from melancholy and distant to vibrant and exuberant in a matter of weeks, according to Eric. He was sharing his emotions with Eric more frequently."

"And Emily?"

"Godric Bonded to her by the time he summoned us to Chicago. He wanted to change Emily, and the timing was perfect. Holmes was disappearing women all over the city, and Emily would vanish nicely as well."

"Oh, I didn't realize you needed your bloodline present to make new vampires," Sookie tried to reconcile this.

Pam snorted, "It is not a requirement. Merely a protective measure. When bringing over a Bonded Mate, the Master usually calls his own Maker or exceptional Child to bury him and his mate. Sometimes, like with Emily, the Master will command that the Child stay until he and his Mate have risen."

"Did Emily know what Godric was? What he was going to turn her in to?"

"Yes, he made absolutely sure that she understood everything before they Bonded. Emily was quick to agree to becoming a vampire, especially after they were Bonded."

"What's Emily like?" Sookie asked.

Contemplating a moment, Pam replied, "Sweet, for a vampire. I thought she was a bit dim when I first met her, but she's actually quite intelligent. More so now than she was then. Bonded Mates have a tendency to be much more... Innocent, I suppose is the word. They are also much more cautious in their youth than the rest of us."

"Why, do you think?"

"They never know the loneliness of becoming a creature of the night. They are Bonded, and therefore, never alone. They are almost obsessively cautious, even from their first rising because they can feel their Mate, and it makes them careful to take care of themselves to protect their Mate," Pam explained. "It is a rare thing, you know."

"What is?"

"Finding the human you wish to Bond with." Pam flipped her hair over her shoulder, her look pensive. "Mostly because vampires do not feel the compulsion until they reach the status of 'Ancient'. Of course, Eric would be the youngest Bonded vampire in our history if you accepted him. He always needs to show up everyone else." She rolled her eyes.

"Is that it, then?" Sookie asked quietly, plucking a random bottle of wine from the shelf just to have something else to look at. "He's with me to break a vampire record?"

Pam let out a sigh of exasperation. "You are certainly one blind detective," she scowled. "My comment was meant to point out that Eric is young to _have_ the desire to Bond. You have influenced the motivation to do so. He has fucked plenty of damaged, pretty women like yourself, but did not fall in _love_ with them!"

Sookie's hands fumbled the wine bottle, and Pam quickly snatched the glass container from midair before it struck the ground. "H-he loves me?" she asked breathlessly.

Pam's shoulder's stiffened. "You know, that insecurity of yours gets more information out of Eric and I than your gift has ever gotten out of a human." Eyeing the woman appraisingly, she asked, "You won't tell him I told you, right?"

"Told me what?" Sookie asked distantly, considering all of the implications behind Pam's reveal.

"Good girl," Pam praised. "Now," she handed the wine bottle back to Sookie, "finish your shopping. I can feel that Eric is frustrated that you have not returned to him."

"W-wait!" Sookie called to the vampiress who was strolling away. When Pam turned around, the detective blurted, "When was the last time he tried being in a committed relationship?"

Pam snorted at the question. "Committed? Eric?" she actually laughed. "Ms. Stackhouse, the last time Eric promised to be with one woman and one woman alone, the arrangement lasted two nights. That was his idea of monogamy. Eric has not fucked a single woman since the night you first came into his club. _That_ is how I know this is different."

Nodding numbly, Sookie continued her shopping rather mechanically, grabbing random items and checking out. Her entire drive to Eric's house, she was lost in deep thought.

Eric met her at her car door, opening it and looking down at Sookie expectantly. "I feared you would not arrive before I had to leave for Fangtasia."

"Oh, sorry," Sookie mumbled, grabbing her bag of clothes from the passenger's seat before getting out of the car. She went around to the trunk and grabbed the few bags of food she managed to make herself buy. "I went to the grocery store so I wouldn't have to keep going out for food," she explained as Eric took the bags from her to carry inside.

"Ah, yes, that makes sense," Eric replied casually. "Is there something else on your mind other than groceries?"

Sookie bit her lip as they walked into the house. Mags and Junes whined at their feet as Eric went to set her purchases on the kitchen counter.

"Sookie?"

"I've been put on administrative leave until the shooting investigation is over."

Eric stood, surprised and staring at her.

"I... Had a bad session with the psychologist," she told him.

"What did he say?"

"That I should take time to myself to... Come to terms with everything going on in my life. He said my level of acceptance over what happened is a bit too good, and it concerns him that it won't last."

"He expects you to snap?" Eric asked worriedly.

Shaking her head, Sookie explained, "He's concerned that I might not have actually processed anything yet. He believes that I am just saying all the right things to get back on field duty faster."

"Are you?"

"I don't think so, but my head's a whirlwind of chaos right now... I don't know that he's wrong," she admitted.

"What did he suggest?"

"Spending time with you and Gran... She wants to meet you by the way."

"What have you told her about me?" Eric asked guardedly.

"She knows you're a vampire. She doesn't mind," Sookie informed him.

"Is that so?"

Sookie nodded, "I think she's happy that I'm finally in a relationship." Her head bowed as she said, "Especially now."

"Do you want to come with me to Fangtasia?" Eric asked quietly.

"No," Sookie declined gently. "I think I'll stay here with the girls, go for a run, and eat some dinner."

Eric paused a moment, sizing her up. "When do you go back to work?"

"A week or two, depending on how long the investigation goes on, and when Dr. Silva gives me 'the all clear'."

Contemplating a moment, he asked, "May I ask you to take some of my blood? You will not have any coworkers to explain things to..."

"I'll think about it."

Eric sighed, "That will have to do. I must get going." He leaned in and kissed her lips gently. "Call me if you change your mind and want to come to the club."

"I will."

Eric drew her into his arms, embracing her firmly before kissing the side of her head and leaving for Fangtasia. As he pulled his Corvette out of the garage, he considered the up and coming meetings he had that evening.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review! And, again, Happy Thanksgiving!**

 **-Andi**


	11. Chapter 10

Never End

 _A/N: I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving/weekend! As the last of my houseguests prepare to leave, I admit I am more than a little relieved. It will be glorious having my bathroom to myself again. Thank you for all of your reviews last chapter! They made getting through this weekend so much easier!_

 _As always, thank you to Msbuffy for her editing prowess! You make this story shine for the readers, and I can't thank you enough for that!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Ten: Eyes Opened**

Liam was already waiting in Eric's office when the Sheriff arrived, his fingers tapping impatiently and looking every bit as nervous as he should.

"Good evening, Sheriff," Liam choked, his extensive tattoos quaking as though they had come to life in his cagey fear.

"Good evening, Liam," Eric answered coldly.

"Is there something I can do for you, Sheriff Northman?" Liam asked eagerly. Eric tilted his head from side to side as though he was contemplating what sort of favor he might barter. Resting his elbow on his desk, Eric placed his chin on the upturned hand and stared at Liam lazily another moment. "I understand," he finally began, "that being so new to vampirism, there are times when standard operating procedures can get quite hazy. With so many fresh things to learn and understand, and the rules changing every century or so, it can be quite easy to make a mistake within the set of laws."

"Y-yes, Sir," Liam agreed.

"That said, you are still well below your century mark and the rules have not changed too very much during your existence as a vampire. You are more than aware of the ways in which we deal with human law enforcement. We glamour, we clean up, but we do not kill. _We especially do not_ _stalk_ _the_ _one fucking human cop_ _who cannot be glamoured_!" Liam swallowed hard at the accusation. "What is your interest in Detective Stackhouse?"

"I-I just did what he asked," Liam pleaded.

"What who asked?" Eric demanded sharply, rising from his desk to stand in front of it and closer to Liam. When the younger vampire did not respond by the time Eric arrived before him, the Sheriff grabbed Liam's arm and yanked it out of the socket. While Liam howled in pain, Eric snarled, "Answer me immediately or I rip it _off_."

"Compton! Bill Compton!" Liam cried.

"Why did he send you to Stackhouse's apartment?" Eric demanded while he gave the arm another sharp tug when he felt the joint trying to move back into its socket, earning another scream of pain.

"I don't know," Liam confessed, his voice pleading. "He just said to look around, not to leave anything disturbed. That was fucking hard with those fucking dogs-"

"Back on point!" Eric snarled, jerking his arm again.

"I swear! Compton just wanted to know what her interests were, what she was reading, about her hobbies, what kind of music she listened to, the movies she watched. I don't know why! I just did what he asked 'cause Malcolm wanted Bill indebted to us to earn favor with Sophie-Anne!" Liam explained in a rapid burst of speed.

"Have Malcolm or Diane done any such surveillance on Stackhouse?" Eric demanded.

"No, just me. Malcolm's recovering from Hep-D and Diane... Well, you know how she doesn't like following orders to a 'T'."

"I am aware."

"I swear, once I smelled you in her apartment, I turned right the fuck around," Liam promised.

"Why did you return?"

"Bill said the Stackhouse girl was acting different. He wanted me to scan her apartment again to see if anything changed. I waited a couple nights. I had to wait for her to take those fucking dogs out running. Stackhouse doesn't follow a rigid schedule... I didn't notice anything, really." Eric jerked Liam's arm again to once more prevent the injury from mending. Liam continued to choke, "So I waited a few more days figuring I'd watch her from the window or something, but by the time I got there, she was out. I couldn't figure out why she had a life all of a sudden, but she was gone. I slipped in a window and first thing I smell is you, blood, and sex. I fucking bolted!"

Eric released Liam's arm and leaned back against the edge of his desk. After reflecting on the younger vampire for a moment, Eric spoke, "You will avoid Miss Stackhouse. You will speak nothing of this meeting to your nest mates, nor Compton. If I discover you have divulged the topic of our meeting to anyone, I will end you. Understood?"

"Yes, Sheriff," Liam agreed gruffly.

"You are dismissed."

Liam rose at vampire speed and disappeared swiftly even as Eric watched. The Viking had to admit that between Malcolm, Diane, and Liam, he would have chosen Liam to break into Sookie's house. Though Malcolm was the oldest at around 500, he was too theatrical and flamboyant. There would have been no way Malcolm could have left the apartment undisturbed. He would have been far too tempted to play. Diane, whose human adulthood and vampire infancy had merged in the late 1960's, was filled with attitude and a startling lack of restraint. The only female member of the nest disliked focus being taken away from her and greatly detested other females. Finally, there was Liam who had joined the world of The Undead in the early 1980's. He had taken to the lifestyle with great enthusiasm, but was a bit dim; however, he followed orders very well and had a healthy dose of respect for chain of command.

That begged the question of why he was hesitant to explain himself _._ Eric did not like that realization at all. If Liam felt he had to hide his actions from Eric on Bill's command, Eric had to wonder from whom Bill was taking his orders. Of course that really was not a question. There were only two from whom Bill would take orders, Lorena, his Maker, whom Bill would try and detour every step of the way, or Sophie-Anne, the vampire Queen of Louisiana.

Sophie-Anne seemed to be the most likely individual pulling the strings. Eric tensed at the possibilities behind the Queen's interest in Sookie. The most obvious reason would be Sookie's telepathy. The vampire Queen had a habit of collecting humans for their gifts and flavors. Sookie would be a particularly impressive addition to Sophie-Anne's collection.

Worse, Sophie-Anne could become as petulant as a small child would if she did not get what she wanted. This lead Eric to a growth in concern that, in the certain event of Compton's failure, Sophie-Anne would contact Eric himself to obtain Sookie.

In the event that this might come to pass, Eric obviously knew exactly what would need to be accomplished. He would have to Bond with Sookie. This plan made the Viking fret over timing. With any luck, Sophie-Anne's notorious impatience would stand firm giving Eric and Sookie the time to come to Bonding naturally. Although given Sookie's history of having every difficult thing piled onto her shoulders all at once, Eric feared they would be forced to Bond by the end of the week.

As much as Eric wished to disembowel Compton and dance in his entrails, the ancient vampire knew that forewarning Liam was as close as he could get at this time. Sookie would not be at work for a week or two, and therefore would have no reason to run into Compton.

When Bill Compton had come to his bar nearly a month ago offering to become a false informant for the police, Eric had known immediately something was not to be trusted. Bill did not go out of his way to do favors, especially favors for Eric. Still, no matter his motives, the club owner was happy enough to have another deterrent between Fangtasia and local law enforcement, other than his own money.

It had genuinely surprised Eric to find that Sookie knew of Bill Compton. After all, the younger vampire was supposedly a confidential informant in the Vampire Crimes Division and Sookie worked human homicides. Sure, the Police Department was small, but Sookie usually worked eight to six, and Compton was only there for an occasional brief hour after dark.

Sighing to himself, Eric looked at his watch. Tuesdays were slow going, the bar patrons were scarce, and only those with rotating schedules or swing shifts bothered to darken his door. Tonight would be as good as any other night...

Going over to his desk, Eric punched the intercom, "Pam, send Long Shadow to my office."

" _Yes, Master,"_ Pam replied silkily.

Long Shadow arrived at his office door seconds later, his lackluster copper skin seeming more pallid than normal. His typically smooth black hair looked as though he had hectically run his fingers through it several times in the short distance between the bar and Eric's office.

"Yes, Master?" Long Shadow asked tentatively.

"Lock the door and have a seat," Eric gestured to one of the comfortable leather chairs in front of his desk while he stood against the edge as he had with Liam.

Long Shadow did as he was told and sat rigidly in the offered chair. "Is something wrong?" he asked after a long silence.

Eric tilted his head back and forth in his faux-contemplative manner. "That depends, I suppose."

"On?"

"Whether you were intending on returning to me all of the money that you have stolen over the past three months," Somehow the Viking's timbre was both cold and casual. Long Shadow's chair groaned as he quickly tensed in his seat. "I was doing the books a few days ago per my accountant's alarmed instruction. Nearly ten thousand dollars has been siphoned out of Fangtasia over three months, Long Shadow. Did you really think no one would notice?"

"I didn't-"

"I would really dislike killing you," Eric interrupted with a frown that lacked authenticity. "You would not put up enough of a challenge to make it worth the fine I would owe your Maker."

"I-I'll pay it back!" Long Shadow pleaded.

"How do you intend to do that?" Eric asked curiously. "Even if you offered to work for me for free, do you really believe I would want you working in my club any longer?"

"I'll get it back, I promise!"

Bracing his foot on the chair between Long Shadow's legs, Eric leaned over the vampire. "I _must_ make an example of what happens to those who would attempt to steal what belongs to me."

Grinning, the Sheriff's hand lashed out faster than a bolt of lightning and snatched Long Shadow's forearm. With a modest flex of his strength, he ripped the right appendage from its joint, and in a sickening, shredding sound, sinew and snapping tendons sent cascades of blood splashing all over the office.

Long Shadow's screams filled the room, but beneath the bone-chilling cry, Eric still heard the gasp from behind his door. Before he could fathom the proximity of _FEAR_ behind that door, it was firmly kicked open and Sookie stormed in, off-duty firearm first. Her Fear turned to Confusion, and then Surprise, finally it settled on an emotion he could not so easily distinguish. He was intrigued by the lack of Terror or Disgust. If he was forced to make a guess, the flavor of her emotion could still be considered in the realm of confusion.

Suddenly, Long Shadow jumped from his chair and lunged for Sookie. His injury was calling for him to feed, to heal. Sookie, being the nearest source of blood, lured him for a feast.

"Fuck!" Eric swore as he went to move, but Sookie's gun, already raised, fired at the advancing vampire. "FUCK!" he shouted as the back of Long Shadow's head exploded and the vampire dissolved into a puddle of blood and flesh.

Sookie instantly found her arms pulled above her head, gun taken, and body pinned against the wall. " _What did you DO!_ " Pam shouted in her face while Sookie stared, wide-eyed, in front of her.

"There was a scream," Sookie replied breathlessly. "I kicked in the door. There was blood everywhere. The vampire… The bartender turned on me and charged. I fired."

"Master," Pam's eyes snapped to Eric, "you are uninjured?" she checked.

"Fine," Eric assured. "Give me her gun, Pam." He held out his hand expectantly and Pam placed the firearm in his upturned palm. "Leave us." After his office door was closed as well as it could have been with the latch strike now several feet away on the ground, Eric turned to Sookie. "I told you to call if you decided to come to Fangtasia," He sat the woman down on the only piece of furniture not coated in blood, his own chair behind the desk.

"I-I did," Sookie stammered blankly. "Your cell went straight to voicemail. I left a message."

Eric pushed a few papers from the table top onto the floor and leaned against the cleared space. He should have specified to call the club. He had silenced his phone for the meetings with Liam and Long Shadow. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Sookie sat stunned a moment longer before she asked, "Were my eyes playing tricks on me, or were you holding a dismembered arm in your hand when I burst in?"

"You interrupted me while I was reprimanding a subordinate."

"By _ripping off his arm_!?" she asked in alarm.

"It would have grown back within a decade or so," he replied nonchalantly.

Sookie placed her head in her hands. "Did I do the wrong thing?" she whispered after a moment.

Eric sighed. "No," Her body tightened at his word. "Though I might have restrained him before he had done any damage to you, he _would_ have killed you. His injuries were severe enough that he was in need of blood to heal. However, none of that means you did the wrong thing. I much rather he be dead and I have to pay a fine rather than to see you injured. Admittedly, I was momentarily frozen by your sudden appearance. I had not been paying attention, and did not notice you were coming here. I was distracted when you arrived, trying to gauge your reaction to what you were seeing. I did not respond as quickly as I should have."

"That was probably a good thing. With how fast y'all move, I might have accidentally shot you instead of him."

"Out of curiosity, what the _hell_ are you packing? I have rarely seen handguns blow the head of a vampire apart like that," Eric commented.

"Oh... 40 cal hollow points. I caught him in the mouth. I don't know if his head would have blown apart like that if I had shot him between the eyes..." Sookie let out a long breath. "Six years without firing my gun outside the range, and now I've killed two people in less than a week."

Eric sighed, stepping away from his desk. As he began stripping off his blood soaked clothing, Sookie's eyes widened.

"Wha- why- What are you doing!?" she shouted in confusion.

Eric laughed as he leaned over to untie his boots and drop his trousers. "Changing my clothes and rinsing off the blood."

"All of a sudden, just like that!?" Sookie reeled at his abrupt action.

"You look as if you need to be held. I thought the gesture would only cause you more anxiety if I was still covered in blood," he reasoned.

Sookie rolled her eyes before waving her hand in a gesture for him to continue. With a cheeky grin, Eric walked naked to an armoire and opened it to retrieve a fresh set of clothes along with a set of towels. He handed Sookie the clothes to keep clean before going to a pocket door and sliding it open to reveal a narrow shower built into the wall. Eric rinsed away the blood before toweling off and returning to Sookie for his change of clothing. Once he was dressed, Eric lifted Sookie from his chair, sat down, and curled her up in his lap.

"I don't think staying in this room is helping my nerves," she confessed after a few moments of sitting in silence.

"I have a room downstairs, but I doubt it will quell your nerves," he admitted slowly.

"Why?"

"It is a sex room. Shackles, chains, whips... A bed big enough for eight."

"Have the sheets been washed since the last orgy?"

"Of course."

"That's fine. Anything to get away from the gore."

Eric rose from the chair and carried Sookie to a set of doors behind his desk. He opened the one to the left and took her down a long staircase to the basement. She was blind in the darkness, clutching the front of his shirt as the smell of dampness sent goosebumps down her arms. The tension in her body made him pause.

"Are you all right?"

"S-sorry... This smell... It reminds me of the basement where the men and women from the sex trafficking case were kept. Their... Memories are coming back to me. Just talk to me. It will pass."

Eric nodded though she could not see it. She felt his hair tickle her forehead with the action though. Soon she found herself sitting on a plush mattress, and then Eric was gone for a moment before a light clicked on and she could see throughout the sex room somewhat dimly.

"So sexy," she told him sarcastically.

"If you were part of the Domination scene, you might think so," Eric told her. "I can see how it is not to your taste though." He came and sat next to her on the bed, and then pulled Sookie onto his lap. "Some get off on the atmosphere. The darkness and shadows amplify the experience of being dominated."

"Have you brought many people down here?" Sookie asked.

"More than you would care to know," he answered honestly.

"What's going to happen now?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, vampires have their own laws. What's going to happen now that I've killed your bartender?"

Eric sighed. "I will need to contact his Maker and explain why Long Shadow is dead."

"What will you tell him?"

"The truth. I was seeking damages for the loss he caused me. When I was disciplining him, an off-duty officer heard his screams, crashed into my office, gun drawn. Long Shadow went to attack the officer, they shot and killed him." Eric looked at her face and concentrated on the emotions swirling inside of her.

"What does that mean for me?" she asked patiently.

"Nothing. It was justified self-defense on your part, and your status in law enforcement gives you a pardon in our culture. We do not kill law enforcement for two reasons. One, if the death of an officer was connected with vampires, it would rain hell on us, and two, the close ties between the Were community and law enforcement could start a war between vampires and Weres."

"So... That's it?"

"I will be forced to pay a fine to Long Shadow's Maker for the death of his progeny, but as I have told you, money is not something of that I am ever in short supply."

"I'll pay you back," she whispered meekly.

"Sookie," Eric looked at her with Zen-like patience, "you could not afford to pay me back."

"How much?" she asked, determination etched on her face.

"Upward of 1.2 million."

Sookie's mouth dangled open. "A-are you serious?"

"How do you put a price on a life, or an existence for that matter? 1.2 is just the minimal amount he could obtain. On the other hand, I could keep him from obtaining the cap because his Child was embezzling funds."

"What's the cap?"

"1 billion."

"Oh My God!" She looked at him in alarm. "Do you even have that much money!?" she demanded.

Eric frowned, "Of course I do. Not in cash, of course, but I have the equity and investments."

"How much?"

"How much am I worth?" he asked.

"Yes."

Eric shrugged. "It is constantly fluctuating, increasing."

"I think I might be sick."

"Money sickens you?"

"No, just..." Sookie put her head in her hands while she tried to wrap her mind around Eric's wealth. "The idea of having so much money that you can't even work out telling me a number..."

"To be fair, it is not all _my_ money. It is my Bloodlines'. Godric, Pam, Emily, and mine... Godric is my Maker and Emily is his Bonded Mate."

"Oh, where do they live?" Sookie tried to be nonchalant as to not give away her earlier conversation with Pam.

"Dallas."

"What are they like?"

"Godric is wise, strong, patient, caring, and kind. Emily is sweet, soft, loving, and devoted. They met in Chicago in 1892. Godric Bonded with her and turned her during the World's Fair in 1893. I, personally, thought he lost his mind, but I have never known him to be happier. I understand what inspired him so, now that I have met you, that is."

Sookie swallowed at his confession. "Don't say that," she whispered.

Eric tilted his head curiously. "Why not?"

Squirming under his gaze, she murmured, "I've spent my entire life barely living a day ahead... Two weeks ago my boss was saying I'd be the youngest lieutenant in Shreveport history, and all I could think was how that sort of thing doesn't happen to me. Now I'm on administrative leave."

"You are exceptional at your job, Sookie. You should _know_ that putting you on leave does not reflect your colleagues' perception of your skill. They just want you to take time and return to one hundred percent. You _are_ an exceptional investigator, but you are also young. I believe what they are doing is smart. There are times to push someone to see how much they can take, but there are also times to pull them away from pushing _themselves_."

"So what about you? Are you trying to push your feelings onto me to see how much of it I accept?" Sookie asked quietly.

"Yes," Sookie's eyes snapped to his in surprise that he was so forthcoming. "Because I want you more than anything or anyone in my entire existence. I want you going to bed every night and waking up every morning knowing this. You are the only one in this relationship with any power simply because _you_ are the only one with the power to end it..." Eric's eyes shied away from her. "You have the power to destroy my entire world by just saying 'goodbye' and never again saying 'hello'."

Heart pounding in her chest, Sookie tried to play off the swell of emotions within her by staring intently at her fingernails. It was all for naught, however. She knew that Eric could feel her emotions. Feel how terrified, how exhilarated she was.

"Are you certain?" Sookie asked quietly.

"Of?"

"Me."

"I have never been more certain of what I want."

"Then Bond to me. Turn me into a vampire. Be my Happy Never Ending."

Eric's eyes softened at her request. "It is never ending, Sookie, but-"

"Don't say 'but'," she protested.

Eric shook his head sadly. "I will long for you to request this of me again, but not tonight."

"At least give me something," Sookie pleaded.

"Anything, just not Bonding, not yet. Not immortality... Not yet. You are too hurt right now. There are too many things scaring you, driving you to act out of impulse."

Sookie wracked her brain for anything to make her feel as though he were speaking the truth. "Make the second mutual exchange with me."

Eric's heart ached at her request. "You cannot even say you love me yet," When her mouth opened, he silenced her with a gentle hand over her lips. "Please, do not ruin what should be the happiest moment of my existence by uttering words I can feel are not yet true."

"Can you say it?" Sookie asked, muffled by his hand.

"I could, but I will not," He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as though he was exhausted. "I will say them when you are able, and when you can mean them. So do not hold them back in fear of rejection, Sookie. Speak them with your heart and soul and I will do the same."

Slowly, Eric reclined on the bed and curled Sookie against his body. He stroked her hair soothingly until she relaxed in his arms.

After a long silence, Sookie squirmed against him until she could look up at Eric's face. Quietly, she asked, "What does this feel like for you?"

"Holding you?" he asked, confused.

Sookie giggled. "No... The way you feel for me, what's it like?"

Eric thought for a long while. Finally, when he spoke, his words were pensive. "Mostly, it is contentment. There are many new fears as well, fears I am not used to experiencing. I worry about you so much. I am unaccustomed to worrying about humans. Suddenly I am concerned about injuries that would be nothing to a vampire, illness, and accidents. It is a good thing that I am completely unaware during the day while you are at work. I would probably call you incessantly with how much anxiety it would cause me knowing you were getting beaten or shot," He glanced down at her teasingly, breaking his previously-glazed expression before continuing, "You are difficult not to think about as well. My thoughts are drawn to you at rather inconvenient times, when I should be performing my duties as Sheriff, or looking over the bloodlines' finances. Everything feels new, even things I have done too many times to designate a number."

When he paused for a long enough time, Sookie asked, "So it's all contentment, fear, and the newness?"

Eric laughed. "No, it is very much more than that. There are things I feel that I do not know names for defining. They are such complex blends of several emotions. I am excited, happy, amused, playful, and impatient to see you... These are all of the things I feel when I think of you or have you in my arms." Snuggling into his side, Sookie murmured a sound of agreement. "Is that how you feel about me, Sookie?" he asked softly.

"I don't know," she smirked into his chest, "do I?"

"I am not a mind reader like you. I do not know what inspires your mercurial emotions."

"You. It's all you. The only emotion you've never made me feel was sad. The _only_ negative emotion you've inspired is fear," she confessed softly. "Still, I've never been scared of _you_. I'm scared of what you make me feel. I'm scared of how connected to you I am, how dependent on you I feel. Whether I have a good or bad day, you're the first person I want to tell about it. Every day I got off of work last week, I couldn't wait to get to my car and call you. Twenty minutes, I couldn't wait _twenty minutes_ to drive home just to talk to you." Her finger traced his chest, both of their eyes tracking its movements. "That scares me."

"You are scared to want things," he did not ask because he had known the answer to that for as long as he had known her.

"Terrified," she sheepishly agreed.

"What if we started simply?" he suggested.

"Hmm?"

"Tell me something you want... Not something I have promised to give you in the future," he qualified with narrowed eyes. "Something I can give you right now."

Sookie looked up at him and smirked. She wracked her brain for something to throw him off balance. Her smirk transformed into a mischievous grin. "Your house."

Eric's eyebrows lifted with surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Give me your house," Sookie repeated, the humor in her eyes at war with the sternness on her face.

"That is not exactly something I can give you in this very moment," he told her with a frown making Sookie grin triumphantly. "I will need to file a quit-claim deed and transfer the title to your name. That will take a few days to process." Sookie's eyes quickly widened in alarm as he began to explain real estate to her. "It would be faster to add your name to the title than to transfer full ownership. You could take possession of it tonight, but may I ask to stay tomorrow rather than being forced into one of my safe houses?"

"You'd just... Give me your house. Just like that?" Sookie asked in disbelief.

"If it is what you want," he answered with a nod.

"Eric, it was a joke!" she almost shouted.

"Oh," his eyes twinkled with mirth, "then I do not need to vacate the premises immediately?"

"Oh My God, Eric!" Sookie swatted his chest in irritation, causing the vampire to roll on top of her to stop the assault. "You are impossible," she accused.

"Am I?" he asked playfully, kissing her pouting lower lip. "Forgive me?" When she pouted harder, Eric laughed and kissed her lips again, lingering longer this time.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Sookie spread her knees to cradle his hips between them. Hugging him to her body, she murmured in his ear, "Always."

"You still have not told me what I can give you," he rumbled in her ear.

Shyly, she looked at him from between her eyelashes and whispered, "You could kiss me..." Leaning in to lower his lips back to hers, Eric frowned when she turned her mouth from his. When he looked at her curiously, she blushed. "Not there," She arched her hips against his abdomen and said, " _Here_."

"I see," Eric chuckled. "You want me to eat your pussy?" She nodded eagerly. "Do you wish to sit on my face again?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yes, please!"

As Eric removed himself from her embrace and began throwing pillows on the floor she made a noise of protest. "What is it, Lover?"

"Can we do the thing where I put my mouth on you too?"

"69?" he asked.

"Oh," she laughed. "Duh! That makes sense."

"Did you really not know what that was?"

Sookie shrugged. "Most people don't think the name and visualize the act simultaneously. I know what a lot of stuff _looks_ like, I just don't know what it's called. I also know many names for things, but don't know what they look like. Sex is one of those things that splits up thoughts. Fantasies are visual without words."

"It is still surprising," he insisted.

"I'm sure it is, but my coworkers don't do 'locker room talk' around me, and I diligently block sexual images as quickly as they pop into someone's thoughts unless it's critical to a case."

"Why?"

Sookie made a face. "Because it was raunchy and nasty. Not to mention, the people whose thoughts introduced me to sex were my uncle and my brother, neither of which were conducive toward developing healthy sexual curiosity."

"Did your brother's thoughts of sex scare you?"

"Grossed me out was more like it, and..." She let out an annoyed sound, "now I have lost all interest in doing sexy stuff. Damn it, Eric!" She slapped his chest with a loud 'THWACK'. "Why do you _always_ start your 'Twenty Questions' game when I want to do sex stuff? It's a real buzz kill sometimes!"

Eric chuckled at her attitude. "I apologize. What if you go to the bar and have a couple gin and tonics? I will finish up my work, and then we will go back to the house. Maybe by then you will be ready to wriggle on my face again?" he suggested.

"Sounds as good a plan as any," she sighed reluctantly, rising from the bed. "I'll be at the bar if you need me." She was walking up the stairs while she told him this.

"Please do not shoot any more of my subordinates!" he called after her.

"NO PROMISES!" she called back, halfway up the stairs.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	12. Chapter 11

Never End

 _A/N: Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for her wonderful editing and critiques! Happy Hanukkah!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Eleven: Lessons**

"Are you certain you did not drink too much?" Eric asked for the fifth time while he settled Sookie on his bed.

"Yes," she said with a roll of her eyes. "You saw me walking just fine, right? I'm not slurring, am I?"

"No, but you are small, and Pam makes strong drinks. I was only on the phone with Long Shadow's Maker for thirty minutes and you drank two of those gin and tonics."

"I'm fine. Now come here!" she snapped, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him atop her. "I want to do naughty things to you." Her legs wrapped tightly about his waist while her mouth sought his own.

"Do you now?" he laughed against her mouth before tangling his tongue with hers.

Pulling her tongue from his, she hissed, "Yes! You said I do a good job sucking you, and I want to do that again."

Eric groaned pressing his growing erection into the mattress and wishing it were her mouth. "Maybe I should give you alcohol more often. Listen to that mouth!"

"There are better things I can do with my mouth than talk. Now take off your pants!"

Rolling them so that he was on his back with Sookie above him, Eric leered up at her. "Or, you could take them off for me," he offered.

A sultry rumble rolled from the woman's lips and she began crawling down his body, pausing to push the tail of his shirt above his abdomen and licking the hard lines of his muscles. When she arrived at the pathway of hair beneath his navel, she kissed her way to the button of his fly while her hands quickly went to work opening his pants. Eric lifted his hips when she began tugging the clothing down, and he laughed when she got them to his shoes and made a noise of frustration before working them off his feet. The vampire sat up slightly to remove his shirt once she had liberated his legs, and he sprawled out naked under her inspection.

"Get on your stomach," Sookie commanded brazenly.

Eric lifted his eyebrows at the request. "That is not really conducive to your earlier request, is it?" he asked even as he rolled onto his belly.

"You've implied over and over that you're mine, right?" Sookie asked a hint of amusement in her voice.

"I have, and I am," he agreed, feeling her move behind him for a moment before she straddled his back. Her naked thighs were soon astride his ribs, and while she settled into place, he could feel the hot moisture of her nether lips against his flesh.

He moaned when she leaned forward, her hot sex sliding against him, and her plentiful breasts pressed firmly against his shoulder blades. When her mouth came to his ear and her warm breath caressed it, Eric was forced to bite back another groan of pleasure. Quietly, she whispered, "I'm allowed to explore what's mine, right?"

"Oh, yes, Lover," he answered heatedly, pressing his eyes shut while she ran her fingers along the sculpted muscles of his upper back. Her strong fingers massaged into his flesh, memorizing the planes and sharp reliefs as she planted kisses behind his ear and his nape. She pushed his golden tresses away, running her tongue across the hairline before tracing the hot, wet, muscle down his neck to between his shoulders. Her teeth gnashed at the thick cord of muscle between his neck and shoulder before her lips trailed hot kisses all the way down his back.

"Your ass is a work of art," she commented huskily when she reached the small of his back, breasts smashed against the portion of anatomy she was complimenting. She kissed and dipped her tongue into the dimples of his lower back while her hands squeezed the sections of his buttocks that her breasts had not eclipsed. "It could compete as your best feature."

Eric could only reply with a noncommittal grunt while she slid further down his body and bit his left cheek firmly before kissing down one leg and back up the other to bite his right cheek.

"Sookie," he growled, "you better be planning on flipping me over soon."

"Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully, teasingly. "I suppose I _could_ be motivated to stop marveling at this sculpture of an ass." She gave her subject of scrutiny another playful nibble. "I would need something in return though."

"Anything," he snarled as she began kneading his buttocks like a kitten.

"It is actually two somethings," she admitted. 

" _Anything_ ," he agreed again.

"First off, we're doing that 69 thing. Secondly, you're fucking me until you die for the day or I black out, whichever comes first."

"Agreed!"

With lightning speed and dizzying results, Eric moved out from beneath her. She would have laughed if his next action had not taken her breath away. Without a moment to even comprehend the motion, Sookie found her body spun around, and dragged up the length of Eric's chest until his mouth was buried in her sex and she was staring down at his. For more than a moment, Sookie sprawled across his body momentarily stunned into immobility as Eric worked his mouth against her. Once she regained her balance, she wriggled slightly, reaching for his member. Quickly, she realized her mouth could not meet its destination.

"Eric," she gasped when his tongue snaked into her. "Eric, darlin', I can't reach you!" She strained toward the begging staff in front of her, but her vampire's vice-like grip on her hips kept her from getting her mouth any closer.

With a grunt, she felt his chest arch away from her as he inclined his body, pushing Sookie closer to his groin. She moaned excitedly when his cock drew closer to her lips until they enveloped the hard column in a seemingly practiced motion.

Eric made a low sound in his throat when he felt Sookie's mouth wrap around his cock. Her small, strong, hands gripped him firmly; one on his cock, the other cupping his balls while her head bobbed rhythmically. The sensations she stirred enthralled the vampire. Her right hand rocked against his shaft as her left squeezed and manipulated his scrotum, all while her tongue snaked around the head of his cock.

"So good," Eric murmured between laps of his tongue. His fingers dipped inside of her well, coaxing more of her honey into his mouth. "You taste so good, Lover!" Encasing her nub between his careful teeth, his tongue flickered frantically against it. She shuddered against him, her thighs trembling near his ears, her mouth and hands speeding up as if to combat the urge to freeze and just feel.

There was an intensifying vibration against his cock, and it took Eric a second to realize Sookie was beginning to mumble incoherently under his technique. Surprisingly, she managed to keep her body in motion, still manipulating his cock up until her climax when her entire frame seized. Her channel clamped down on his thrusting fingers, her thighs shut tightly over his ears, and her mouth suctioned deliciously onto the end of his shaft. The sudden pressure the latter action created was enough for Eric to cry out in his own orgasm and sink his fangs into the flesh just lateral of her opening.

An explosion of blood burst into his mouth. Her body was pumping copious amounts of the crimson elixir to her sex, and his mouth was diverting the flow into his stomach. It took a great deal of will power to stint the cascade of blood, more than he cared to admit, but Eric began sweeping his tongue over the wound until it sealed.

Sookie was lying sprawled over his body. He could feel wetness trickling from her mouth and across his hip while she panted urgently atop him.

"Done already, Lover?" Eric asked innocently, slowly easing her body off of his own before draping his frame over hers. As she lay dazedly beneath him, Eric parted her thighs and slipped his length deep inside until his pelvis kissed hers.

"UH!" she sobbed, arching weakly beneath him.

"You have not passed out _yet_ ," Eric asserted in a challenging tone. Her earlier domination of him had sparked a desire to reciprocate. As he drew back his hips slowly and reinserted swiftly, Sookie let out another small sob. She wailed as she felt his cock flex inside of her, and tears streamed from her eyes. "Do you want me to stop?" he growled against her ear tauntingly. "You are still awake."

"Nooooo," she moaned out while she tried to command her body to move in the way she intended. He had turned her into a marionette. Her limbs only jerked when he pulled the string he desired. Another delicious collision compelled an awe-inspiring arch of her back.

"You are so beautiful beneath me, Sookie," he rasped in her ear, pushing his hips tightly against hers and flexing the muscles of his pelvic floor. Sookie's leg jerked at the change of direction and a weeping howl poured from her lips.

"Eric," she cried, her hips twitching while he continued to tense inside of her. The next time he withdrew, Eric hooked his elbow beneath her knee, pushing the limb toward her chest as he slammed back inside. "ERIC!" she screamed when he struck deeper than he ever had before. The woman beneath him was gasping for air, her eyes squeezed shut, her jaw clenched tightly as oxygen hissed between her teeth.

"Stay with me, Sookie," Eric snarled when he felt her body going boneless before she could even climax. "You can sleep tomorrow." His free hand dipped between their bodies to rub her clit, and Sookie's body jolted in response, her eyes opening wide while a garbled moan spilled from her mouth. "Yes, Sookie, stay with me. My cock wants you to cum for it like you came for my mouth."

Sookie whimpered in response to his words. Her body was not responding in any way she could recognize. Her legs were dead to her. Her lungs were burning. Her arms were trembling and weak. Her heart was pounding so frantically, she thought it might stutter to an exhausted halt.

Just as the woman was certain she would black out mid-fuck, Eric's stroke shortened, and the thickest part of his shaft rubbed insistently against the most sensitive part of her opening. Between the surety of his thrusts and his perfectly pressured thumb on her clit, Sookie came undone in a matter of seconds. Her walls clamped down on him as she uttered one last muted howl, and she sobbed openly over the completion of her orgasm as Eric's own answering cry coincided with his throbbing cock emptying inside of her.

Turning them onto their sides, Eric cradled the crying, gasping, woman in his arms, soothing her hair while she tried to regain control of her body and emotions. His member remained buried inside of her as it pulsed in time with her own contracting walls. Eric took into account several things in that moment. The rhythm of her heartbeat, the shortness of her breath, the fact that it had been over a solid minute, and they were both still experiencing post-orgasm contractions.

"Are you all right, Sookie?" Eric asked gently when her heartbeat had yet to calm after nearly five minutes. He slipped out of her, feeling her flinch.

"S-sorry," she gasped, "I'm just having trouble... Calming back down."

"Mmm," Eric snuggled her tighter to his body, "you were highly aroused for quite a while, Lover. I believe that is the longest you have kept up with me."

Sookie groaned. "How long were we doing it?"

The vampire glanced at the clock, "It is nearly a quarter to two. We arrived home at midnight."

"We've been screwing around for two hours?" she asked in alarm.

"About..." He went back to playing with her hair once her heart had finally slowed down to a reasonable pace. After her heart and lungs seemed to have calmed for an extended period of time, Eric reached his hand between her legs, and Sookie immediately clamped her thighs around his hand with a hiss. "Raw?"

"Yes," she snapped irritably.

"I will fix that," he promised, bringing his hand to his mouth and slicing his finger open to draw out a fair amount of blood. When Sookie's eyes widened hopefully, he shook his head with a smirk. "It is not going in the hole you would prefer."

Sookie frowned when he brought his bleeding digit back between her legs and began coating her inflamed entrance with deep red fluid. The tiny sound of relief that accompanied the healing properties of his blood was instantaneous.

"Humans don't have to drink vampire blood to heal?" she asked, eyes shutting as her discomfort abated.

"Not always. It depends on the injury. Skin irritation, lacerations... If the surface tension of the skin is compromised, our blood can be administered topically. However, pores are not suitable passages for sub-dermal injuries. That is why you would need to drink my blood to heal the bruises from your bullet injuries although, the more severe the injury, the less effective a topical treatment can be. If you were shot or stabbed, it would be more prudent for you to drink my blood rather than my bleeding directly into the wound."

"Why?"

Eric shrugged. "Vampires' magic is greatly tied in to blood drinking. Though our blood's magic is still mildly effective in other mediums, it will never be as potent as when it is consumed."

"But _why_?"

"I do not know. Perhaps it has to do with how vampires Bond. If there were a human we would offer our blood to thrice to keep alive, surely we would want to keep them forever. It is no simple matter when a vampire gifts a human with their blood. It is quite frowned upon to give a human our blood indiscriminately."

"Really? It seems like unless a mutual exchange is possible, you've been trying to force feed me your blood."

Eric grinned down at her unashamed. "That is because I want you healthy and happy. I have made my choice in you, Sookie. Now all I have to do is wait and see if you make the same choice in me."

"I did," she sighed in feigned dismay. "You turned me down."

Eric rolled his eyes at her counterfeit distress. "There are enough things happening in your life right now without making life-altering commitments." He pressed his forehead to hers and asked gently, "Have you even considered the fact that you will never be able to have children if you stay with me?"

"No, but then I've never thought about having kids."

"Ever?" he asked in surprise.

"Not really, and then every time I have a case involving a dead child, or hear another department working a child abuse case, all I can ever think is, 'Thank God I don't want children'." She played with the fingers of his hand that was not currently buried in her hair. "When I told Gran about this, she kind of rolled her eyes and thought that if everyone thought like me, the population would be at zero in no time. Besides, what kid would want a mom who could hear their thoughts? They'd turn into a teenager and hate my guts, AND I'd be a cop. They wouldn't trust me for anything."

"Oh, Lover, and you were doing so well up until now, so confident, sexy, and brimming with self-esteem. Now I must resort back to telling you how perfect you are to me," Eric kissed her mouth soothingly.

"Eric, I'm not emotionally flagellating myself. I'm just telling you why I've never wanted kids, and in this moment, I'm very grateful for that. No matter the fact that it was rooted in a very self-loathing part of my past, it still prepared me mentally for a future without children, a future where I could be happy with you, and not feel as if I was sacrificing something to accept and keep you." She tangled her fingers with Eric's as she murmured, "Maybe there are things about me that go against the norm. There's a good chance that most of those things stem from very negative thoughts about myself... Still, I don't feel that way anymore, but that doesn't mean that all of the desires I've never felt before will suddenly break some sort of dam inside of me. I'm not going to yearn for children, Eric. I've never wanted them. I didn't even want anything to do with baby dolls when I was a little girl."

Eric laughed at that last part. "Too busy playing cops and robbers?" he teased.

Sookie grimaced jokingly. "Yeah, pretty much."

"All right then, Sookie. I just wanted to make sure you thought about it."

"Thank you."

"Are you tired?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, but I still want to keep doing it," she admitted after a moment's consideration.

Eric chuckled, pulling her leg over his hip. "How about we continue _gently_ ," he suggested, kissing the top of her head.

"Mmm," she hummed agreeably when his hand came to touch between her folds.

"Does that feel all right?" he asked, making sure she had healed properly.

"Mmm hmm," she hummed again with a nod, eyes drifting shut.

"Are you going to fall asleep before I even put it in?" he asked with a chuckle now.

"I don't know, are you going to keep talking or start fucking?" Eric's reply was to shift his hips and slip into her smoothly. The woman gasped at the languid sensation of him filling her. "Good answer!"

His body rocked sedately against hers, still playing with her hair and kissing the crown of her head. "We have never had sex this slowly before," he commented. "Even your first time was not this gentle."

"I like it," she murmured, closing her eyes softly.

"So do I," he agreed, finding her lips with his own and kissing her in time with the waltzing tempo of their bodies.

As the minutes passed, Eric found his body leaning over hers until he was once again above the lovely woman who shared his bed. Their hands were gentle caresses, fingers tangling in golden locks, lips dancing as though they touched delicate flower petals. Though her pulse scarcely rose, Sookie could feel her release building. It was different this time versus the multiple climaxes the Viking between her legs had given her. Instead of frenzy and electrical pulsations, her entire body coiled like a fiercely compressed spring. Only, instead of lunging when the weight lifted, Sookie's muscles relaxed in a resonating thrum that began in her skin and seeped into her bones.

Relaxed, happy, at peace...

{†}

Sookie awoke with a long, luxurious stretch. Her joints felt like gelatin, and her muscles ached rather pleasantly. Even the dark bruises on her back felt compliantly painless.

Humming gently to herself, Sookie danced to the bathroom, preparing for the day. She quickly went through her morning routine and hopped into her car.

Tapping an impatient finger against the wheel, Sookie scanned the shops as she drove through downtown Shreveport. There was little conflict in her mind over what she wanted to do this afternoon.

Recently, Eric had mentioned that if she wanted to buy flattering dresses and other such feminine things, he would find places to take her to wear them. Today, she had every intention of not only buying clothing she had yearned for an excuse to don, but also an article of clothing that would give her vampire lover a run for his money in finding an event where she could wear it... A formal gown.

Deep down, Sookie had always longed for an opportunity to purchase a dress with a skirt running to the floor. However, such circumstances were rare and far between, and the telepath had missed every chance during her adolescence and young adulthood. She had been overlooked as a prom date though she would have suffered through the evening just so she could have worn a floor length gown. She had never been asked to stand up or even _attend_ a wedding. The only events remaining in her life where the opportunity could strike again were her own wedding (which she always scoffed at considering a possibility), and the Shreveport Police Charity Ball. 

The latter event had been a great temptation for her, but the tickets were expensive even with reduced costs for those in law enforcement. There was the added awkwardness of spending the night with colleagues and politicians witnessing her in such feminine attire. Sookie had a difficult time believing she could enjoy the evening with her dress having her coworkers gawking in surprise and disbelief.

Of course, Sookie was aware that Eric could easily afford tickets to the fundraiser event, and would gladly do so if he believed she had a desire to attend. Regardless of that knowledge, Sookie still felt a deep aversion to being gaped at openly without her badge and gun strapped to her hip.

Finally spotting a promising shop, Sookie found a parking space nearby and began her hunt.

The first store she entered provided many snug girly tops and flowing skirts that stopped at her mid-thigh. In the next shop she stumbled upon, she found dresses that had similar cuts as her lone red and white dress. Finally, her most coveted stop, a bridal boutique, where she tried on several bridesmaid's dresses.

Sookie spent the most time in the last store, trying on dress after dress and confusing the poor saleswomen until she managed to cease her search long enough to explain she needed a formal gown for a fundraiser event. With sales personnel on her side, the telepath finally found the dress that made her feel alluring and desirable. However, once she noticed the price tag, it took all of her years of keeping a straight face not to cringe and thrust it back on the rack.

"You wanted that cut in the black with blue trim, correct?" the redheaded saleswoman asked sweetly while Sookie continued to stare at the dress in disguised alarm.

"Er, yeah, I liked that color scheme much better, but you don't have it in my size. You just have the black and gold. Also... Um... All the dresses I've tried on today at other stores were a size six, and this one's an eight," she shook the dress that had fit her properly.

"Oh, our dresses run a bit smaller," the redhead explained skeptically as though she found it confusing that Sookie would not know this.

 _Why the hell do they standardize dress size numbers if y'all just put whatever number you feel like!_ Sookie thought with aggravation. "I see," Sookie muttered instead.

"So, we will put an order in for that dress in black and blue for a size eight," the redhead walked her through the process. "Let me just check the warehouse inventory to see how long it should be until it comes in. Are you going to need alterations?" she asked.

"Um," Sookie fidgeted.

Charlotte, the redhead whom Sookie finally managed to read her name tag, smiled at Sookie with sudden understanding. "You've never bought a formal dress before, have you?"

"No," Sookie replied meekly.

"Okay, why don't you go put that one back on, come onto the viewing floor, and we'll take a look at the fit?" Charlotte suggested.

"S-sure," Sookie flushed a deep red and went back to the changing room. When she emerged once more, Charlotte looked the blonde over with a critical eye. "I... umm... guess it feels pretty good..."

"Hmm," Charlotte hummed to herself. "What foundation were you thinking of wearing?"

"I don't really know. I don't wear make-up that often."

Charlotte's eyebrows raised, "Underwear, Sugar. What sort of foundation garments?"

"Oh!" Sookie blushed terribly. "I don't really know. This dress is strapless and... I've never had luck with strapless bras, but I really like _this_ dress."

Grinning at Sookie's confession, Charlotte told her, "Well, it looks great on you. It will look spectacular when it's properly pinned!" At Sookie's freshly puzzled look, Charlotte elaborated, "When we get the seamstress to fit it properly to your body. Can you sit in it?" Sookie looked around, spied a bench, and sat comfortably with a nod. Reaching forward, Charlotte folded the fabric tighter along Sookie's abdomen, "You really only need an eight because of your breasts and hips. The waist line on this dress is far too wide for you. Therefore, we'll take that in. It's also rather long, so we'll re-hem it. You were planning on open toe shoes, right?"

Sookie's head was spinning when she got back to her feet. What was this foreign language Charlotte spoke so fluently?

"I-I guess?"

"Well, with a slit that high, open toe is really the only way to go," Charlotte commented distractedly. "Okay, turn around, let me see what sort of foundation we need."

Sookie turned carefully as to not trip on the dress's hem. When she heard the saleswoman gasp, the blonde groaned, remembering the purple and black blotches still healing on her back. She really needed to let Eric heal her. Hiding her face behind her hair was easy enough, but Sookie was so unaccustomed to wearing open-back clothes that she often forgot how badly the bruises appeared.

"I'm a police officer," Sookie said quickly. "I was shot last week. Don't worry."

Charlotte nodded numbly before shakily returning to her contemplations over underwear. She left a moment to return with a low back bustier which she encouraged Sookie to change into. Flustered, Sookie confessed she had no idea how to put it on, and Charlotte went into the changing room with her to help. Once the dress was back in place, Sookie fell in love with the gown all over again. Now that she was wearing proper support, her plentiful bosom was defying the notion of gravity. She looked dangerously sexy.

"That certainly makes all the difference," Charlotte laughed amusedly at Sookie's stunned expression. "I'm betting your date for this fundraiser will have the same look you do when he sees you in this dress."

"We might not make it out the door," Sookie muttered more to herself, but Charlotte laughed.

"Well, I think you made the best possible choice for a dress. Are you ready to put the order in?" the saleswoman asked kindly.

"Yeah... I guess I'll take this weird bra thing too while I'm at it."

"All right, you get changed back into your clothes, and I'll start processing your order. Would you like me to schedule an alteration appointment too?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Sookie replied, still staring at her image in the mirror.

"I'll do that. Take your time coming to the desk," she encouraged.

Nodding, but not really hearing, Sookie turned several times, examining herself in the array of mirrors. Reaching up, she pulled her remaining hair free of its pony tail, watching the long strands cascade down her back. Though her hair distracted from the open back of the dress when it was down, Sookie wanted it that way. Her hair was always up, and she wanted it to be free for her first experience wearing such a lovely gown.

Smiling to herself, Sookie resisted the urge to skip back into the changing room and put her street clothes back on. She grinned to herself the entire way to the service counter, and even the price of the dress with the foundation garment and alteration fee did not deter her.

 _Eric better think of something for me to wear this to!_ she thought with excitement and apprehension.

"Your dress will be here two weeks from now. We will send you a reminder e-mail when it arrives. Bring that bustier with you as well as the shoes you plan on wearing when you come to pick it up, and then we'll go ahead and do the alterations, " Charlotte explained.

"How long does that usually take?" Sookie asked.

"Less than an hour, usually."

"Okay, thank you," Sookie waved as she went to the door.

Returning to her car, Sookie drove back to Eric's house and spent the remainder of the afternoon running her purchases through the washing machine. After everything was dry and hung up in Eric's closet, she picked out her favorite skirt and blouse combination, and changed into them. Next, she grabbed her toiletry bag, found her mascara, and lip gloss to apply a meager amount on her face.

"There," she said to herself, smacking her lips in the mirror, "easy enough."

"What is easy?" Eric's voice startled her, and her hand clutched at her heart at the suddenness of his consciousness. Turning her back to the bathroom counter, Sookie faced the door as Eric passed it. The vampire froze when he saw her, and a large smile split his face. "You look very lovely," he said, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Sookie beamed up at him. "Thanks... You said if I bought things I liked that weren't work functional, you would find something for us to do where they would be appropriate."

"I did," he agreed.

"Sooo," she looked up at him coyly, "what would you do with a girl wearing this?" She gestured to her new outfit.

"I cannot say for certain what I would do with a girl wearing this, but I can tell you what I want to do to _you_ wearing this."

"What?" Sookie breathed.

"I want to push that sexy short skirt the rest of the way up your legs, bend you over something, and fuck you into a coma," he told her point blank.

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, Sookie reached up and wrapped her arms about his neck. "Yes, please?"

"I thought the point of this exercise was for you to buy garments to wear when I take you out?" Eric asked before succumbing to her seeking lips and kissing her deeply.

Directing his mouth over her neck, Sookie asked, "Why would we go out when you can stay _in_?" Her own inquiry inspired a growling groan from her lover. "Besides, it's not true dark yet. I can always change into something else for you to take me out." When he gave her throat a blunt warning bite, she giggled. "That bending over comment? Darlin', you can't put images in a girl's head like that, and then do nothing about it!"

"Oh, I will do something about it, Lover." He nuzzled his nose beneath her ear, his hands stroking her sides teasingly. "I am just not going to do it right now."

Sookie pulled away slightly to pout at him, "Why not?"

The vampire smirked at her with taunting amusement. "Because every time I touch you tonight, all you will be able to think about is when and where I am going to bend you over... A pool table? I could push your top up and let those sensitive little nipples scrape against the baize while I am fucking you. Maybe a pub stool? That way your hands could wrap around the crossbar when I make you scream."

"Eric," she moaned. Visualizing his x-rated plans caused the woman to instinctively press her thighs together tightly. Her body leaned against his in response to her flaring arousal, and he could smell it rolling off of her in waves.

"You seem to enjoy being teased," he commented, reaching beneath her skirt to force apart her thighs and test her level of excitement. When his fingertips easily slid across her flesh, he murmured approvingly. "Oh, yes. Anticipation agrees with you. What if I asked you to leave these wet panties with me? They are already so damp, they cannot possibly be comfortable..?" A fresh coating of dew slickened his digits and Eric grinned, grasping for the elastic. "I am taking them, Sookie."

Her response was to nibble her bottom lip again and marginally widen her stance to make the action easier. She felt the fabric of her panties drag across her bottom, and her hand raised to her lips to bite the knuckle of her bent index finger. Shyly, she stepped one leg out of her underwear, and then the other; watching intently as Eric fisted them in his hand and stood back up to his full height.

"Now," Eric told her, "all you have to do is wait. Does that sound fun, Sookie?" When she nodded hesitantly, her lover leaned in and whispered in her ear. "All you have to do is ask for them back," he assured. "It is only a game as long as you are having fun, right?" She nodded with far much more certainty. "Are you having fun, Lover?"

"Yes, Darlin', I am," she assuaged his own concern.

"Have I told you how much I enjoy you calling me that?" he asked, kissing her nose. "I believe it is the most endearing pet name I have ever had, and one of few I have been agreeable toward."

"Other women have given you pet names?" Sookie asked disappointedly.

Eric rolled his eyes. "They have tried, but I rejected the attempts. Do you know how irritating it is to have a woman a thousand years younger than myself calling me 'Baby'?"

"No, I really can't imagine. At least it's not as intimate as being called 'Lover'," Sookie replied.

"Do you dislike it?"

"No," she mumbled. "It kind of embarrasses me when you use it where others can hear though."

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Well," Sookie began slowly, "it feels... Unseemly."

"Oh?"

"Like you're letting people know too much about our relationship when it's none of their business," she explained reluctantly.

"You feel that my endearment is too provocative for public?" he clarified. Sookie nodded. "How does my affectionate name make you feel when it is just you and I?"

Sookie smiled goofily. "It makes me feel cherished."

"I am glad. That was my goal all along."

"Everything you do makes me feel that way," she told him. "I don't know how you snuck your way into my heart. It was so seamless. So effortless. You're like a ghost that just passed through all of my walls like they aren't even there."

"I think," Eric began as he pushed a lock of hair from her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb, "that was because you wanted to let someone in. As hard as you pushed everyone away, there was always a sliver of hope in you that you could eventually let another share your life." He leaned his forehead against the top of her crown. "Very few people genuinely invite absolute solitude. You isolated yourself so completely that it was only a matter of time that your yearning got the better of you."

Sookie laughed. "You just happened to be in the right place at the right time?"

"I did not happen to be anywhere. I blatantly planted myself directly in your path."

"How so?"

"As I said, I have been keeping tabs on your career. In that time, there were a few things that I came to realize about your personality along the way. I made certain not to push against your barriers when we finally met. I stopped at all of the lines you drew in the sand until you drew newer, closer lines. It was a rather remarkable show of patience on my part. I am unaccustomed to letting others write the rules..." He stopped for a moment, contemplating her face. "Yet I knew you were worth that patience and letting go of some of my control."

"It didn't seem so tedious to me," Sookie whispered. "It felt... Sudden and... Frightening... Not _you,_ of course, but how you made me feel. I couldn't understand what the hell was so special about you that all of my walls couldn't keep you out." She shook her head with wry amusement. "It's still scary, you know? Feeling all of these crazy things that I never knew I could feel... It's a good scary, like, roller coasters or bungee jumping."

"You have gone bungee jumping?" Eric asked mirthfully.

"Well, no, but it's the same principle I think. I've never been on a roller coaster either," she admitted sheepishly.

"Really? Perhaps on an evening you decide to wear pants, I will take you to an amusement park," he suggested.

Sookie made a face, "No thanks."

"Afraid? I thought you said roller coasters were a 'good scary'?" he teased.

"Maybe for other people, but not me. I have no interest in entrusting my body to a seventeen-year-old who'd much rather text his friends on his phone than perform safety checks," she seethed.

Eric threw his head back and laughed at her observation. "Your need to control things has nothing to do with your fear of roller coasters then?"

Sookie pouted. "I'm not a control freak...and I never said I was _afraid_ of roller coasters. I just don't like them," she insisted.

"Pardon me, I meant your desire to have things _just so,_ " Eric distracted Sookie from a potential argument by playing with the hem of her skirt. He felt her body tense as his hand moved the material, and her response made him smile softly. "What else did you buy today? Anything else as lovely and sexy as this?"

"Want to see?" she asked excitedly. "I hung everything up in your closet... That's okay, right?"

"That is fine," he assured with a nod. "Show me what you bought."

Sookie took his hand and dragged him to the closet, opening it, and grabbing handfuls of hangers to toss onto his bed.

"You were rather busy today," he commented with a chuckle as he looked over her purchases. "These are rather nice quality. You have the money for all of this?"

The woman frowned at his question. "Of course I do. I don't go spending what I can't afford."

Eric held his hands up in feigned retraction. "I was only concerned. Sometimes... People have a habit to overindulge when they are unaccustomed to spending money on themselves."

Sookie narrowed her eyes in playful accusation. "By _people_ do you mean _women_?"

"It might have been my first choice," he confessed with a smirk.

"Well, this isn't all that I bought," she made her own confession.

"What else did you buy?" Eric asked. Sookie played with her hair shyly. "That makes me even more curious, Lover," he told her in a husky rasp.

"It's nothing sexy... Well, it is, but not lingerie sexy. OH! I didn't even think to shop for sexy underwear!" Her eyes widened at the realization.

"Then what is this sexy non-lingerie that you bought?"

Nibbling her lip with embarrassment, she told him, "It's a challenge for you."

"A challenge?"

"I bought a super formal dress, and I want you to find something to take me to so I can wear it."

"Oh?" Her bashfulness confused him.

"I never... Y'know... Got to do the prom thing or go to a wedding... I've never had a formal dress before," she explained self-consciously. When he did not respond right away, she began to backpedal, "I know, it's stupid and adolescent. I'm sure I can stop the order! I'll call the-"

"Sookie," Eric silenced her with a finger over her lips, "if that is what you want, then I am more than capable of taking you somewhere to wear your _super formal dress_." He paused briefly before saying, "The sun has set now. Shall we go to dinner, and we can discuss a few options?"

"Options?" Sookie asked.

Eric nodded, "I would hate to take you somewhere that would leave you in any self doubt. I just want to discuss activities you would be for or against."

"Oh, okay," she beamed up at him.

"All right, grab some shoes, and I will take you to dinner."

Sookie nodded and went to the closet while Eric finished dressing. She groaned internally when she realized that she only had her running shoes and her usual work boots. The thought of shoe shopping had never crossed her mind.

"Is something wrong?" Eric asked when Sookie had yet to emerge from the closet.

"Uh, no!" she called, pulling her calf high boots on and lacing them tightly.

When she peeked around the closet door, she let out a sigh of resignation and stepped into Eric's full view.

His smirk said it all, but that did not keep him from commenting, "You did not buy any new shoes."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


	13. Chapter 12

Never End

 _A/N: Yes, I realize it is super early to post, but I actually have a Saturday off from work for a change. Therefor, I thought, 'What better way to spend my day off than basking in the glory of beautiful reviews?' Please, light up my phone!_

 _As always, thank you to Msbuffy for editing my chapters. Everything looks gorgeous after she gets her hands on them!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Twelve: Considerations**

"I could have bought my own shoes," Sookie continued to complain while her food was placed before her.

Eric rested his chin in his palm, looking at her indulgently. "I know that, Sookie, but I like spending money on you. Is that a bad thing?" he asked.

"I don't know. It seems as if it should be, but I'm not sure why."

"If you had to pick a single, negative, emotion to associate with my spending money on you, what would you choose?"

Sookie poked at her food distractedly while she tried to decide on an answer. Finally she murmured, "Embarrassment."

"What do you find embarrassing?" he pressed gently, still watching her not eat.

A weak shrug lifted her shoulders followed by a long pause. Eventually she whispered, "I guess it's a few things. First, I'm really unaccustomed to it. No one's ever really bought me things before and I just... Don't know how to respond to it..?"

"Are you asking me, or are you uncertain of your answer?"

"Uncertain."

"All right. What else makes you flustered about it?"

"I don't want people thinking I can't take care of myself."

"Do they think that?" Eric asked.

She shook her head. "No, mostly they're jealous; if it's a girl or indignant if they're a guy."

"Do you believe that I think you are incapable of supporting yourself?" Eric asked.

"No. You're well aware that I can and have taken care of myself."

"So what do you care what someone _might_ think when you know for certain that they are not thinking it?" Eric pressed. Another half-hearted lift of her shoulders made Eric sigh. "Sookie, your inexperience with allowing men to fawn over you would explain your uncertainty and embarrassment at accepting romantic gestures, but this concern regarding the thoughts that someone may have? That seems as if it could be an opinion implanted by another person. Someone you respect or love?"

"Tara," Sookie muffled around a bite of food.

"The friend who stopped speaking to you when you went into law enforcement?" Eric asked curiously.

"Yeah," She began playing with her food again.

"I take it she had rather strong views on men spending money on women?" Sookie nodded at Eric's guess. "I understand valuing opinions of those you care for or respect, but how valuable is the opinion of someone who abandoned you?"

"I guess I'm even more broken than I thought," Sookie took several bites of food quickly, trying to shove away the topic by keeping her mouth full.

"You are," he agreed, regretting his comment at her forlorn, puffed-cheek expression. "Yet you have managed to glue yourself together quite remarkably despite the damages that were made to you. Everyone is broken, Sookie. It is how they repair themselves that speaks of who they are. There is no shame in who broke you or how. They are things that were done to you, and no one deserves disgrace from family, peers, or loved ones for such things. What you had to do," Eric paused while he considered just how much she had shut herself down in order to cope. "What you had to do to make yourself function and be happy in any possible way you could manage is terrifying and... Admirable."

Sookie scoffed at his words, "I didn't have it that rough!"

"Oh, Sookie," Eric sighed, "you did. You really did, and the fact that you cannot see that makes me want to give you so many things. Not money, shoes, or things so frivolous... I want to give you companionship that does not understand the word 'no'. I want to give you affection that makes others sick with envy. I want to give you adventure and laughter. I want to give you arms to fall into when the world is too heavy on your shoulders." He looked across the table at her and Sookie swallowed hard on the bite of food she had forgotten was in her mouth. "I also want to give you all of the frivolous, expensive gifts that you _know_ I can afford." Sookie laughed at that last part.

"You know, Northman, you really do know some amazing lines."

"Well, Miss Stackhouse, you are the one who inspires such words. How can words spoken about someone so awe-inspiring not be amazing?" Sookie flushed a deeper red while she poked at her food unable to look him in the eyes. "You do not take compliments well," he remarked.

"I'm not used to it," she told him. "You'd think I'd be over it by now with how often you say things like that, but it still..."

"Embarrasses you?" he guessed. Sookie nodded. "You know, when I asked what made you uncomfortable with my paying for things and you said that you were just unaccustomed to such treatment, I think that was the honest truth. It is not in your nature to show indignation, so the only remaining response is embarrassment."

"Could be," she shrugged noncommittally.

"Has your life really been so absent of admiration, L... Hmm... Baby?"

Sookie giggled at his attempt to avoid his usual endearment in public. "Oh, Eric! The way your mouth moves around that word is hilarious!"

"I do not enjoy calling you by a word that implies an attraction to prepubescents," Eric objected.

"Then why was it the first alternative that sprung to mind?"

"I had other alternatives before settling on that."

"Oh?" She gazed at him in a way that encouraged her lover to explain.

Eric sighed before relenting, "I was particularly agreeable to 'Dear One'."

Sookie's lower lip drew between her teeth as she whispered, "I'm agreeable to that."

Eric's eyes softened when she accepted the endearment. "Then that is what I will call you in public."

Returning to her food, all anxiety and embarrassment forgotten, she proceeded to clean her plate.

"Would you like dessert? After all, we have not discussed potential exploits for your super formal dress," Eric pointed out.

"Oh, well," Sookie played with her hair, "there was a chocolate cheesecake that looked good..."

Eric nodded, flagging over the waiter and submitting Sookie's order. As the server left, Eric looked back at his lover and began again, "Were there any events that you would like to attend that would be black tie affairs?"

"I really only know of one event like that and it's the Shreveport Police Charity Ball. Only, I don't know that I would want to go," she admitted sheepishly.

Eric cocked his head to the side. "Why not?"

"Some of my colleagues would be there. No one I work with has seen me dress as I'd be dressed. I don't know how I feel about that..."

"Embarrassed?" Eric guessed in a teasing manner.

"I suppose."

"Afraid they will see what you have been hiding all these years and begin thinking inappropriately about you?" he asked.

"Oh, that happens quite a bit now," she waved off his speculation.

"Does it?"

Sookie frowned. "Of course."

"What do you mean by 'of course'?"

Sookie looked at him strangely. "Eric, people do fantasize. It's a part of daily life, and not to sound vain, but I'm pretty hot." Eric laughed at her blatant remark. "You disagree that men other than you find me attractive?" she challenged.

"Absolutely not," he remarked while still laughing. "Only that you were so flustered and shy when I showed my interest in you. I thought perhaps that 'fuck off' look you wore on your face deterred men's open fantasizing."

Sookie scowled. "You and Pam would get along so well with Trent. For your information, I was so flustered by all the flirting because I could ignore fantasies. I've never actually had people, well, vampires, flirting with me so directly!"

"Vampires? Plural?"

"Oh, please, as if you don't know Pam's been trying to get in my pants. Although she was easier to ignore than Compton."

Eric's eyebrows rose. "Compton? Why was he more difficult?"

"Because he made me think of you."

Her vampire sneered at that. "How so?"

"He asked when the last time was that I let a man be familiar with me. You're the only man I've let call me by my first name since I graduated high school. In a way, Compton opened a floodgate by associating familiarity with sex. You were the first man who called me 'Sookie' and got away with it. It started me thinking about how beautiful you are and who wouldn't mind making an exception for _you,_ " Sookie's head inclined slightly, hiding her face behind a curtain of hair. "Then I ran into you that same evening, we had our banter, and I was so restless after I got home. I _thought_ about you just so I could fall asleep."

"I see," Eric understood her less-than-subtle hint at masturbating to thoughts of him. "So it took you a week and a half of _thinking_ of me before you built up the courage to ask?" Sookie nodded mutely. "Perhaps that is good. It gave you time to determine the extent of your attraction. I am grateful we had that extra time to speak to one another over the phone and get to know one another."

"So am I, although it felt as if you were learning a heck of a lot more than me," she confessed.

"Perhaps, but I am a difficult person to know... We have gotten off topic again," Eric pointed out. "Do you really have no desire to go to the police charity event?"

Sookie shrugged. "I really don't know... I do because I'd like to attend an event that supports law enforcement, something that I could still feel good about if my first formal event isn't all that impressive..."

"It is May 24th?" Eric checked.

Sookie was stunned that he knew. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"I donate money quite frequently to the Shreveport Police Department," he reminded. "They sent me an invitation a few weeks ago to the ball."

Nibbling her lips, Sookie asked quietly, "Do you know what else is on May 24th?" Eric tilted his head curiously and Sookie laughed. "My birthday."

"Really?" he looked at her in delight. "Am I allowed to spoil you then?"

Sookie's eyes narrowed carefully. "Elaborate on 'spoil'."

"May I give you my credit card on your birthday so you might get your hair and nails done for the fundraiser?" he asked.

Hesitantly, Sookie asked, "Is it very expensive to have those things done professionally?"

"You never have?"

"Well, I get my hair trimmed every few months, but I've always just kept my nails short and cut back my own cuticles," she explained.

"What if I made reservations for you at one of the spas that is a favorite of Pam? They would have my credit card on file there…" Sookie gave him a surprised look at that and he quickly explained, "Pam usually uses my credit cards, particularly for her clothes and body treatments."

"I thought vampire bodies didn't change?"

"They do not, but we still indulge from time to time, especially after The Great Revelation," Returning to topic, he finished his earlier thought, "Since the spa already has my card on file, you may have any treatment you wish done, and it will just get billed to me. No need for you to see any costs or worry about something as inconsequential to my bank account as a trip to the spa."

Sookie hesitated momentarily, "So my letting you do that would make you _happy_?"

"Very," he assured.

Seeing that he was being perfectly honest, Sookie nodded in agreement. "Okay." After another second she asked, "Eric, do you know much about manicures and stuff?"

"I suppose. Pam prattles on about it enough and I have had manicures before. That was only buffing and shaping my nails though, nothing like what Pam has done."

"Do you know what that paint job is?"

"Paint job?"

"Where it looks like a natural nail? A flesh tone at the nail bed and white tipped?"

"A French manicure?"

"Is that what it is?"

"Yes," Eric nodded. "Why?"

"'Cause that's what I want for the fundraiser. Something classy and subtle."

Eric nodded enthusiastically, "That sounds very sexy."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. A beautiful woman should be remembered, not her flashy nails or slinky dress."

"Well, my dress is pretty sexy."

"It is on you. Of course it looks sexy."

Sookie flushed, and then her eyes widened when the server came by with her cheesecake. She dove into it enthusiastically. "I'll need to hit the gym tomorrow morning," she mused.

"Speaking of plans for tomorrow, I thought it might be a good idea to visit your grandmother tomorrow evening."

Sookie's fork paused halfway to her mouth. "Why?"

"Did you not tell me she wished to meet me?" Eric asked.

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Are you still hesitant to acknowledge your time with her is limited?" Eric asked gently.

Sookie set down her fork, desire for chocolate cheesecake eclipsed with sorrow. "Yes," she finally admitted.

"Sookie," Eric murmured quietly, "it may not seem like it, but you have a very nice advantage right now. Your grandmother is still well enough to genuinely enjoy part of her remaining time. Would you not prefer seeing her spry and happy while you can still make more memories?" Sookie nodded slowly. "Then let us put aside time in the early evening to spend with her. As often as you like, but we should definitely go tomorrow evening to start."

"Okay," Sookie quietly agreed.

"Would you like if I diverted your thoughts a moment?"

"Yes, please," Sookie began poking at her cheesecake now.

"Do you know how to dance?" he asked.

Sookie froze for a moment, "Umm... What kind of dancing?"

"Black tie dancing," he teased, pinching his tongue between his teeth.

"Then, no. I can't dance," Sookie admitted.

"Perhaps we should practice then," Eric suggested.

Sookie leered at him from over her cheesecake. "I've enjoyed the sorts of practice you've introduced me to so far."

Eric grinned cheekily at her and Sookie finished her dessert. After Eric took care of the check, he drove them deeper into the heart of Shreveport until they arrived at a little club where Sookie could hear the music crooning from the sidewalk. It was not the heavy thrum of a nightclub, but the intoxicating invitation of smooth jazz.

"So help me, Eric, if this is another club you own…"

"It is not," Eric laughed while interrupting her threat. "I do know the owner, however."

Sookie rolled her eyes, "You know everyone it seems."

Eric just laughed to himself as he led his lover into the club. The atmosphere was just as inviting as the music had been. It was cozy, though surprisingly larger than the outside had led on. There was a small dance floor where only two other couples swayed to the music. About twenty other people were enjoying the music from their seats.

"Shall we?" Eric asked, leading her to the floor, grinning internally at the apprehension rolling off of her.

"Eric, I really can't dance," Sookie moaned nervously, her legs freezing up on her.

"Do not worry, Dear One, I will not let you embarrass yourself," he reassured her, thawing out her legs as he lead Sookie to the dance floor. "Have I not already taught you so many things your body is capable of that you never knew?"

Sookie shivered as he lulled her onto the floor, placing her left hand to his chest and taking her right hand in his left one while his right hand gently clasped her hip. It was easy for Sookie to find the rhythm of the song, and Eric pulled and pushed her so deftly across the floor that moving with him was as effortless as being in bed with him. The ground instantly melted away and the thoughts of the other club goers hushed with the silence brought by his touch. It was just the two of them pulling and pushing each other across the surface of the Earth like magnets simultaneously attracting and expelling one another in a cooperative rhythm. It was not difficult to realize why so many thought of sex as horizontal dancing.

"And you said you could not dance!" Eric murmured in her ear as the song ended and he leaned in to kiss her throat. As his body was inclined over hers, Sookie felt his hand leave her side to run down the curve of her hip briefly tracing beneath the hem of the skirt she wore. The fleeting contact made her breath hitch as she was instantly reminded of her lack of panties. Her heart pounded despite the brevity of Eric's suggestive evocation.

"Eric!" she gasped, her hand clutching the front of his shirt.

"Hmm?" he slid his hand back to her waist and began moving their bodies around the floor as the next song began. Distracted as she was, Sookie used all of her willpower not to stumble while they began dancing once more.

"That's not fair," she pouted up at him.

"What?" Eric asked, wearing a grin so diabolical it made Satan's horns look like a halo. Before she could reply his right hand migrated toward her bottom giving it a playful squeeze. The action effectively pressed his growing bulge against her stomach and Sookie let out a breathy moan in response. "Ready to go?" Eric whispered. He could smell her arousal perfuming the air around them.

"Yes, please," she answered breathlessly.

Squeezing her hand in his, Eric lead Sookie out of the club and back to his car. When Eric opened the passenger door and sat down, his lover looked at him in confusion until he unzipped his pants and pulled her onto his lap. 

"Eric," she whined quietly when she felt his erection brush against her aroused entrance. "Someone could see-"

"Was that not the point?" Eric asked, taking her hips in his hands gently urging her to slide down his staff.

"But-"

"You can say no, Sookie," he assured her easing his hands from her sides.

Sookie chewed her lip for a split second before succumbing to his suggestion and sinking down his cock, the tiniest whimper escaping her slightly open mouth. Frantically, her mouth reached for his and her hips began rocking urgently against him.

"In a hurry?" Eric laughed against her mouth.

"I don't want to get caught," she mumbled back before tangling her tongue against his and moving that much quicker.

Eric nipped her tongue with his teeth while his hand moved beneath her skirt to hasten her release. Her fingers wove into the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling it and causing his hips to crash upward into hers. Sookie gave his hair another sharp tug and groaned at the responding collision.

"Yeah, Darlin', just like that," Sookie hissed as his thumb speedily rubbed against the pleasure point above her opening. Her teeth clenched tightly before her hips gave sharp, violent jerks. She leaned forward and dug her teeth into his shoulder stifling her cry when her inner walls began contracting around the thrusting rod inside her.

"Mine!" Eric snarled quietly into her ear as he came shortly after her.

"Yours," she agreed with a gasp for air. Once her breathing calmed, she asked, "Mine?"

"Yours," he assured, eyes still closed while her body relaxed around him. When Sookie moved to rise from his lap, Eric pulled her body back to his, wrapping his arms around her. "No," he murmured quietly. "Stay right here."

"Eric," she fretted.

"I would glamour anyone who found us," he soothed her. "Just let me hold you awhile longer this way." When Sookie relaxed against him, Eric purred happily. "Thank you." 

Resting her head against his shoulder, Sookie took in a deep breath of his scent and let out an appreciative moan. "You smell so nice."

Eric gently laughed as he began stroking her hair. "Thank you."

"You ready to go home?" she asked quietly, nuzzling against his chest.

Humming thoughtfully, Eric finally relented after giving her body another squeeze. "I suppose."

"I was wondering, when we get home, could you give me some of your blood?" Sookie asked shyly. "I think I'm ready for these bruises to heal."

A flash of happiness passed through the vampire at her request. "I would like that very much. I have disliked the unease that seeing you damaged this way has caused me," He paused a moment before asking, "You will not feel ashamed when you go to work for your next psychological evaluation with your bruises healed?"

Sookie smiled at him. "If anyone has the gall to ask, I'll just tell them I'm reaping the benefits my lover provides me."

"You are a marvel, Dear One," Eric pulled her mouth to his, enjoying one last drawn out kiss before helping Sookie rise off of him. When he was zipped up, Eric climbed out of the passenger seat and placed Sookie into it before getting behind the wheel and driving them back to his house.

"What do you plan to do tomorrow during the day?" he asked once they were in bed for the night.

"Probably do some more shopping. I need to buy shoes for my dress and now I really want to buy some sexy undies too," she teased him.

"Oh, I see," Eric leaned over her body and sought her lips with his own. After a deep kiss, he pulled away and asked, "Are you ready to lose the bruises?"

"Yes, please," Sookie grinned.

"The amount of blood you need may give you a persistent urge for sex," he warned.

"Darlin' if it gets much more persistent, I'm gonna have to quit my job and you're gonna have to find a way to stay awake during the day," she challenged.

"Quite the incentive!"

Sookie scowled at him. "You really don't like me being in law enforcement, do you?" she demanded.

"I really do not," he replied honestly. "I respect your abilities as a detective and I respect your decision to serve the public at the risk of your own safety. That does not mean I like the thought of my lover's life in danger every time she goes to work."

"Well, get used to it, Buster! I want my cheap, gold watch," she stuck her tongue out at him. Eric's smile turned distant and Sookie felt her tongue slip back into her mouth. "Eric," she restarted softly, only continuing when he hummed that he was listening, "what's the worst damage I could take before your blood wouldn't save me?"

Eric paused a moment before stating, "It depends on what you mean by 'save'."

Sookie frowned, contemplating his meaning before realization struck, "You mean the difference between living and surviving?"

"Yes," he whispered quietly.

"Surviving," she told him.

Eric turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "So long as your brain and heart remained undamaged, I could ensure your continued existence. The moment your heart stops, I cannot give the same guarantees. Each human is different, you see. Some cling to the shell of their body longer than others do. If the spark of their existence is still shining past their death, they may still be transformed, but it does not always work out well. There are possibilities of insanity or mental retardation."

Sookie stiffened at his side, swallowing hard at the potential ramifications. "That's only if my heart stopped, right?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes, or if your brain were damaged... Like taking a bullet to the head," he whispered hoarsely.

Pausing for a moment, Sookie asked, "What would happen to my body if I were taking your blood regularly?"

"You mean if we were Bonded?" Eric asked quietly.

"Yes."

Taking a deep, unnecessary breath he explained, "Your body would heal faster, become stronger, and your reflexes would increase to the realm of exceptional for a human."

"Would I be able to-"

"Sookie," Eric stopped her, "I would not wish for you to have those abilities while you are in law enforcement."

"Why not? I'd be safer-"

"You would also be more reckless and overconfident," he argued gently.

Sookie sighed at his point. "I can't say you're wrong."

His body relaxed at her admission. "I am going to make something very clear, Sookie... If you agree to Bond with me, your career in law enforcement would not last long."

"You'd make me quit my job?" she demanded, though she tried not to sound stern or angry.

"No. _You_ would want to quit your job," he tried to clarify.

"Oh, that's the thing about being extra cautious for the sake of your mate, right?" Sookie asked.

Eric was stunned by her immediate acknowledgement. "Yes, it is."

"I see," Sookie nibbled her lip thoughtfully.

Cocking his head at the action, Eric smiled to himself. "You know, you chew on your lip quite often around me, but you are far less fidgety around others."

Smiling at his observation, Sookie asked him, "Haven't you realized I don't have any of my walls up around you?"

"I have."

"What is the likelihood of us accidentally Bonding?" Sookie asked, thinking of her career and not so much the Bond itself.

Eric sighed, wondering the same thing. "It is hard to give a probability ratio, especially since you see me so close to dawn and spend time with me before sunset so often. I can try my hardest to prevent accidental mutual exchanges, but accidents do happen. Also, with your career, there is always the chance I might need to heal you with my blood after I have drunk from you. It seems unlikely that I would be unable to resist your bleeding if you were the one to drink first. I am old enough and have enough control to avoid such an incident."

"I think losing my career is going to be harder for me to accept than the prospect of never having kids," she told him quietly.

"Yes," he agreed sadly, "I suppose it will."

Looking at his despondent expression created an ache in Sookie's chest that she had never experienced before. Her body yearned to offer him some shred of comfort, but she knew a future broken promise would hurt him far greater than some immediate, temporary relief.

"I wish I could give you more hope," she murmured. "You're everything I never hoped to dream of, but my career is what I've always struggled toward."

"I know, my Sookie," he turned onto his side and kissed her face softly. "I think we have had enough deep conversation for one day. How do you feel about exploring a different sort of depth for the evening?" His sorrowful expression suddenly turned mercurially playful.

Forcing her own genuine smile through the layers of concern on her face, Sookie traced her thumb over his plump lower lip before leaning in and kissing him carefully. He returned the comforting expression, easing his hand into her hair and tangling it around his fingertips until she pulled away for a lungful of air.

"Turn onto your other side, Lover," Eric urged, gently pushing her hips until she rolled onto her right side while he pressed his chest tenderly against her back. After a moment, a soft 'snick' rented the air, and a bleeding wrist was offered to Sookie's lips. She latched onto the wound tentatively and took a deep pull of blood down her throat. As a moan sounded around his arm, Eric's knee slipped between the back of her thighs separating them so that her left leg was hooked over his and her center was open to receiving his hardness.

When he slipped inside of her from behind, another cry muffled against his flesh urging Eric to kiss and nibble her shoulder. He crooned in her ear periodically about the overwhelming heat of her sex and the luxurious wetness that coated him. All too soon, enough of his blood had been consumed and he could see the bruises on her back fading along with the swelling of her face receding to its normal curves and planes.

Disengaging his self-inflicted injury from her mouth and earning a groan of protest, Eric smiled to himself, and then reached between her thighs to languidly run his fingers over her clit. As his slow ministration caused Sookie to wriggle in his loose embrace, Eric merely continued his sedate pace and showered her shoulder, neck, and back with his kisses and love bites.

It was not long until she was climaxing around him drawing out his own release, and Eric moaned loudly against her healed shoulder blade. His throbbing cock filled Sookie with the evidence of her affect on him, and she moaned happily at the satiation his ecstasy brought her.

"Mmm," she hummed contentedly, "it feels so good when you fuck me like that. Like my whole body is having an orgasm."

Eric buried a smile into her shoulder, his eyes closing gently. "That is because I am not fucking you, Dear One. I am making love to you."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review! I love hearing from all of you and getting to understand what you enjoy about the story!**

 **-Andi**


	14. Chapter 13

Never End

 _A/N: Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you are all having a good weekend and are waiting excitedly for this chapter. Just so you all know, you will be getting an extra chapter this week! Consider it at "Christmas Present"! Sorry, Hanukkah, but you're a week long and would have depleted my prepared chapters! So, I hope you all look forward to this Wednesday (December 23rd)._

Anyway, please enjoy chapter thirteen, and Happy Holidays!

-Andi

 **Chapter Thirteen: Just Checking In**

Sookie felt like a brand new woman when she awoke the next day. Her body felt the best it had since Saturday afternoon, and she chose to wear a halter top with a flirty, flowing skirt and the kitten-heeled sandals that Eric had bought the night before despite it being a bit early in the season for such an outfit. At that moment, Sookie did not care about a little April chill. She felt sexy and whole again, and she wanted the world to see!

After her morning routine, Sookie once again went into downtown, shopping for sexy underwear that would tease her Viking lover when she purposely bent over, giving him a taunting view of satin and lace.

Once she finished at her third boutique, Sookie threw her bags into her car and decided to grab a bagel as a late breakfast. Standing in line at the pastry shop, her siren ringtone went off and she stepped out of line to answer the call.

"Hello, Dr. Silva," Sookie answered, recognizing his office number.

"Good morning, Detective," Silva greeted. "I was wondering if you were available today for your check-in interview?"

Sookie frowned at the shrink's abrupt request. She knew he was trying to catch her unprepared, having waited for her guard to drop before he called in the request. "What time?" she asked, glancing at her wardrobe choice and wondering if she had the time to go home and change.

"As soon as possible is preferable," Silva answered. Sookie groaned and Silva jumped on her discomfort, "Is this a bad time for you?"

"No, no, its fine, I'm just out at the moment. I'm really not dressed to come into work."

"It is only an interview. Forty-five minutes with me and you're back on with your day," he assured.

Sookie gave one more, forlorn glance at her halter top and skirt. "Okay, I'm just grabbing a bagel and I'll be right there," She hung up and returned to the line, sulking the entire time. _'CRAP!'_ She thought suddenly. All of her bruises were gone! Everyone would know she had had vampire blood! It would be on display for all to see, question, and judge!

Shakily, Sookie placed her food order, unsettling the young woman behind the counter with her wide eyes and pale face. The detective's heart was hammering in her chest at the scrutiny she would be under, at the unspoken suspicions she would be forced to hear.

 _Maybe I could buy a jacket real quick? Put my hair down over the left side of my face?_ All of those considerations were swept away while Sookie walked back to her car with a cup of coffee and a bagel. Hiding her healthy skin felt like slapping Eric in the face. Disguising her recovery felt like a denial of their relationship. _'I've had worse things thought about me my entire life. Just think of the negative thoughts as you view a criminal's memories. It means nothing to ME. It's all them. A suspect thinking that trying to kill his girlfriend is okay would never mean I had to believe it! Just because some of my co-workers may think I'm a fangbanger doesn't make it true. I know what I am!'_

Strengthened in her resolve, Sookie made a beeline for the station. It took a few calming breaths in the privacy of her car before she had steeled her courage enough to climb out of it, but her steps were confident and swift as she headed toward the doors.

"S-Stackhouse," a Sergeant in narcotics greeted with surprise when she swept past him.

She nodded at him as she continued on. _'She looks good!'_

' _Oh good, she let her boyfriend heal her.'_

' _Thank God she let him patch her up.'_

' _Look at those legs!'_

' _That's what she's been hiding all these years!?'_

' _I can't believe she actually drank his blood…'_

' _Good, she let him fix her.'_

Astonishment flooded the telepath at all of the positive feedback she heard. She looked good. Everyone she passed was happy for her. She had nothing to hide or have concerns over.

Self-assured and poised, Sookie knocked briskly on Silva's door. Once again, the psychologist answered swiftly as though he had been standing by and waiting for her arrival.

"Good morning, Detective," Silva greeted, having donned his typically stern expression.

"Morning, Doc," Sookie waved, passing him and settling lazily upon the couch. Silva's eyebrows rose considerably at her relaxed temperament. _'_ _She's so at ease!'_

"How have you been sleeping these past few nights?" Silva asked, returning to his desk.

"Pretty good, I guess. I was a little scared to fall asleep Saturday night," she admitted reluctantly, "but I slept well once I caved. Sunday was a rougher night because my Gran told me about the cancer that afternoon. Every night afterward hasn't been a problem though."

"No nightmares, waking up abruptly, disorientation upon awakening?" Silva listed.

Sookie shook her head. "No. I was a bit disoriented Monday morning, but that was 'cause I accidentally fell asleep at my boyfriend's house. I was confused about what day it was, and then why I was there. He reminded me about Sunday night and told me I could stay with him as long as I needed."

"Have you been staying at your boyfriends' this entire time?" Silva asked.

"I've been to my apartment a couple times for stuff I needed, but I've pretty much been at his place, running with my dogs, or shopping."

"What have you been shopping for?" Silva tilted his head curiously. _'_ _Is she externalizing by binge shopping?'_

Sookie blushed somewhat. "Clothes. I told you last time that I've never had a boyfriend, and so I've never really bought 'out on the town' clothes. This is new," she said, gesturing to her outfit.

"Did buying clothes make you happy?"

Sookie shrugged, "Not as much buying the clothes as anticipating the dates when I'd be wearing them."

Nodding to himself, Silva continued, "How has your diet been?"

"Basically the same although perhaps slightly larger dinners than I typically indulge in because Eric takes me out to restaurants. I've been skipping breakfasts most days though so I guess that makes up for the extra calories," she laughed.

"Things sound more positive for you at present. Have you been to visit your grandmother since Sunday?"

"I'm planning to go tonight," Sookie answered, unable to keep the hesitation out of her voice.

"Are you nervous?"

Sookie shook her head. "No... I just really don't want to accept that she's dying," she whispered.

"If you need any grief counseling-"

"I'll let you know. I'm really scared though," she admitted. "When my parents died I was a kid. It was hard and sad, but I had Gran and my brother. Now, I don't really have my brother anymore. Gran dying might be the thing that either breaks us apart forever or brings us back together. That makes me scared too. In the next month or two, I might not have any family left."

"It seems that your personal life has had more of an effect on you than the shooting," Silva commented.

"I wasn't in delay of shock, Doc. I wasn't ignoring anything on that front. I killed someone on Saturday, but I also could have died that afternoon! Looking at it like that, I'd much rather I was alive! I don't have survivor's guilt or PTSD. I know I'm not the shrink in this room, but I know my own mind. I know what makes me sad and what makes me depressed. Nina's death makes me sad, but that's all."

"I see." _'_ _And this time, I actually believe you'_ Sookie let out a long sigh, disguising her relief. "I feel confident giving you the all clear to return to work _after_ the Shooting Team and Sheriff's office have finished their investigations.

"How long should that take?" Sookie asked, remembering that Trent had mentioned a friend from the Sheriff's Department commenting that it was pretty cut and dry, and should be completed by Monday.

"It could be another week," Silva answered her. "I will call you before the weekend ends and let you know if you are good to return on Monday."

"Thank you," Sookie said appreciatively. "Is there anything else you need me for?" Sookie asked.

"No, I think you're good to go back to your day. Thank you for coming in on such short notice," Silva told her.

"Not a problem," she said while thinking, _'_ _Yeah, 'cause you would have kept calling me on short notice just to see me as unguarded as possible.'_

"I'll call you," Silva rose, opened his office door for her, and Sookie left with a nod.

"Hey, Stackhouse!" Sookie turned to see Trent jogging down the hallway toward her. "I heard you were here for your psych eval! How'd it go?" _'_ _Holy crap, they weren't kidding! She looks great!'_

"In the clear to start as soon as the investigation is over," Sookie told him cheerfully.

"That's awesome! We can't wait to have you back," Trent told her happily. "Say, I saw your boyfriend Saturday night. He was giving the Desk Sergeant hell, you know."

Sookie groaned, "Why does that not surprise me?"

"Yeah, I figured by his attitude that he was your boyfriend." _'_ _Yeah, I figured by his smell that he was your boyfriend.'_

"Oh, I used his shampoo and stuff that morning!" Sookie realized. "I guess we did smell the same!"

Trent's body went rigid at her remark. _'_ _Shit! Did I say smell? Oh, thank God, it looks like she thinks I meant his soap or something. Does she think I was sniffing her boyfriend? Wait, I know I said attitude. Smell. At-ti-tude. Smell, at-ti-tude.'_

Sookie's eyes widened when she realized that she had responded to Trent's thoughts and not his words. The two had been so parallel except for the single word that she had mixed up his vocalization and sub-vocalization, and now he was staring at her with more curiosity than he ever had before.

"Well," Sookie began nervously, "I need to be getting home. I've got laundry to do before I visit my Gran tonight."

"I heard about the cancer. I'm sorry, Stackhouse," Trent said sympathetically, momentarily forgetting his curiosity.

"Thanks," Sookie murmured, unable to think of anything else. What was there to say? _It's okay?_ It was not okay. _I'll just have to deal with it?_ That seemed too flippant a remark to make regarding her Gran. _We all have to go sometime?_ Sookie cringed at the actual thought.

"If you need anything, a drinking buddy, a punching bag, just let me know, okay? You're tough as nails, Stackhouse, but no one should have to be tough when they lose a loved one. You don't have to just lean on your boyfriend. The guys and I are your family too, even if you try to keep us at an arm's length... Oh, and the rookie whose ass you saved on Saturday? I think he fell in love with you. Just a head's up!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Sookie winced at the shock.

"Chlebowski? The patrol officer who went around back at the Sanchez house with you? He said you pushed him out of the way when Jacobs fired at him through the window."

"Oh," Sookie frowned.

"I've been telling him all week that you've got a boyfriend, but don't be surprised if you start getting love notes left on your desk," Trent teased.

Sookie groaned loudly. "Eric's gonna kill him if he does." _'_ _No doubt,'_ Trent silently agreed. "Well, I better get going," she sighed.

"Okay, have a good staycation," Trent smiled down at her. "And Stackhouse?"

"Hmm?" she paused as she turned to leave.

"You look good."

"Um... Thanks," she mumbled.

"I'm glad you let your boyfriend fix you up. I felt like a loser seeing your face all beat up that way."

"Why?"

 _'Cause I should have had your back instead of that stupid kid who almost got himself shot in the head.'_ "I should have gone around back with you."

"It was my call," Sookie argued with a reassuring tone. "I wanted Jacobs, and having the kid with me only increased my chances of being the one to take him down. If you had been with me, I wouldn't have had the opportunity. You'd have tackled him and it would have been all over," she teased.

"Still."

"Ben," he froze when she used his first name, "really, it's okay."

"Thanks, S-Sookie…?" She smiled reassuringly when he tentatively used her name, and then turned to finally leave the station.

{†}

"Hello, Beautiful," Eric murmured when his eyes opened for the first time that evening to find his Lover curled up beside him. The smile on her lips was marred by the apprehension in her eyes. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I called my Gran earlier to let her know you and I were coming tonight."

"Did she say not to come?" he asked, confused by her apprehension.

"No, but she warned me she was planning on telling Jason about the cancer tonight," she whispered. "I... I don't know if I should be there for that, or..."

Sensing her unease with the situation, Eric reached forward and pulled Sookie into his arms. "Is it that you do not want to hear her explain it to him in the same way she explained it to you?"

"Partly that, and partly... My relationship with Jason's been screwed up for a few years now. Gran's the only one who can make him give me the time of day anymore. I'm scared that once she's gone, he'll just... Disappear from my life altogether," she told him. "I want to be there for Jason when Gran tells him about the cancer, but... Eric, my brother can do really stupid things when he's upset."

The vampire's eyes narrowed. "How do you mean?" his voice was a warning growl.

"He hollers and says really nasty things. He's even thrown things when he's been mad enough."

"Has he struck you before?" Eric demanded.

"No, but to be perfectly honest, I can't say he wouldn't under the right circumstances," she confessed. "Still, if you're coming with me tonight, you have to promise to let me deal with my family _my_ way. If Jason calls me a buncha nasty names, you can't go hitting him or threatening him. If he was to try to hit me, that's my business to deal with. Jason knows I'm not a pushover. He knows I'll give better than I get if he touches me, okay? Don't think you can read his body language 'cause he feints a lot." Sookie was speaking rapidly while she attempted to explain her brother to her overprotective lover.

"I do not like it," Eric stubbornly admitted.

"I know, Darlin', but you have to respect my decisions when it comes to handling my family," Sookie crooned considerately. "There isn't anything Jason can say or do that will hurt me any."

"Not even if he calls you fangbanger or slut?" Eric asked sharply in his same growling tone.

"Do you think I'm either of those things?" Sookie asked gently.

"Of course not!" he snarled.

"Then it won't matter what Jason says," she replied, cupping his face in her hands and kissing along his jaw.

"I truly hope I can make it through the evening without throttling your brother," Eric confessed.

Sookie smiled at him, giving his lips a chaste kiss, "How about every time you feel the urge to pummel Jason, you remind yourself that I have a special surprise for you if you behave?" she purred.

"What sort of surprise?" Eric purred in return, his eyes hooded with a heated leer.

"What sort of surprise would it be if I gave you any hints?" Sookie asked.

Pouting playfully for a moment, Eric's face suddenly turned wary. "Lover, are you certain you want to make such promises going into such a taxing evening?"

It was Sookie's turn to sulk. "I think, regardless of what happens tonight, I will want to be really close to you when we come back home. There's a chance I won't be all that playful when we get back, but I'm pretty positive I'm going to want to make love with you tonight."

"Anything you need," Eric assured her, kissing away the frown upon her face. "It is nearly true dark," he told her after a moment. "Were you planning to wear that to your grandmother's?"

Sookie grimaced. Her Gran would be scandalized to see her walking around with so much exposed skin.

Hopping off the bed, Sookie went to Eric's closet and rifled through several different blouses until she found one that matched the skirt she was wearing, but revealed far less flesh.

Eric frowned in confusion when Sookie took the blouse into the bathroom to change, wondering why she had an issue exchanging one piece of clothing for another in front of him. Suddenly he realized with a grin that perhaps she had on something special under her clothing that she did not wish Eric to see... _Yet._

When Sookie returned, she crawled back onto the bed and straddled Eric's hips as she sprawled weakly across his chest. Humming contentedly, Eric wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against his body.

"I should probably shower and dress as well, Lover," Eric told her after they lay cozily for another ten minutes.

Sookie pouted at his remark before rolling off him and curling up on her side of the bed. The vampire laughed lightly as he sat up and gave her rear a firm, consoling pat, and then headed to the bathroom.

She could hear the shower start, and she moaned internally at the thought of her sexy, wet Viking under the hot spray. Her thighs pressed together at the images her mind was conjuring, and valiantly resisted her compulsion to join him. If she did, they would certainly be late in getting to her Gran's.

When Eric emerged just moments later stark naked with a towel over his head as he briskly rubbed away the moisture from his hair, Sookie moaned. A few stray drops of water were trickling down his torso, caressing those hard lines much like her tongue was wont to do.

"See something you like, Lover?" Eric teased while he turned his back to her and went into the closet. Sookie let out another needy sound as the glory of his posterior flexed with his movements.

"You did that on purpose," Sookie accused in a breathy moan, pulling a pillow over her head.

"I really did," he confirmed once he exited the closet fully dressed. "If you want me calm tonight, I need my surprise _now_."

Sookie whimpered, peeking around the edge of her pillow.

"You're a cheater," she groaned, her hips arching, the space between them aching.

"Whatever it takes to get what I want," he agreed, grabbing her by an ankle and dragging her to the edge of the bed. Her skirt pulled upward as she slid across the mattress, and Eric growled at the tiny scrap of red satin that flashed up at him. The way the small triangle became thin spaghetti strands by her hips made him wonder if she had bought a thong. "Oh, turn onto your belly, Lover. If you are wearing what I think you are, I want to see that luscious bottom of yours!" he moaned.

Rolling onto her stomach, Sookie raised her lower half onto her knees as her forearms planted into the bed while her face rested between them. Eric's soft moan made her wiggle her bottom at him and she gasped when he squeezed the bouncing globes firmly. His fingers played with the strings of her thong, giving one side a hard snap against her skin and making Sookie moan.

"Do you like that, Lover?" he asked, snapping the elastic of the other side against her flesh.

"Mmm, yes," she replied with another delicious jiggle.

"What about this?" His hand made a firm collision with her left buttock. 

"Ah! Yes!" she answered, pressing against his hand where it had stayed to sooth the small hurt.

"Do you want me to spank you and fuck you in your little red thong, Sookie?" Eric asked, planting another smack on her right cheek.

"Yes, please!" she cried, pressing against his hand again. Sookie heard the sound of his zipper opening, and her body shimmied with anticipation. Eric chuckled at her reaction and knelt down, pushing the material of her thong aside so that he could snake his tongue into her begging hole. "Uhmm," Sookie simpered, grinding against his mouth impatiently. "Darlin', I don't need foreplay. Please, fuck me," she begged.

"You do not want your pussy eaten?" Eric asked in surprise.

"Darlin', I could sit on your face all day and _still_ not have enough of your mouth," she told him. "But we don't have all night just yet, so drop your pants and put it in me!"

Eric laughed as he rose to his feet. Holding the thin piece of material aside along with a nether lip, he placed the tip of his shaft against her opening slowly pushing inside.

"OH!" she jerked at the unfamiliar angle. It was not unpleasant, quite the opposite, but he felt much thicker this way! Eric's hands were tilting her hips back slightly, and Sookie felt him slip the remainder of the way inside before he adjusted her stance again. Her walls were hugging him tightly, showing no sign of relenting, and Eric growled in approval. "You're so big, Darlin'," Sookie whined, rocking slightly against him and swiveling her hips experimentally.

"And you are so tight, Lover," he replied, beginning a long, deep rhythm. When he was buried as far as he could go, Eric gave her rear a sharp slap causing her to clench around him even tighter. "Oh, yes," Eric hissed blissfully at the pleasurable contraction around his rod. He pumped his hips speedily in response to the sensation, and then spanked the other cheek with equal ferocity, and was rewarded with another sweet squeeze of his staff.

Leaning forward, Eric reached around Sookie's torso, one hand snaking beneath her shirt and bra to torment her breasts while the other slithered down her stomach between her thighs. As his left hand tugged and pinched her nipples, his right circled and teased her clit. All the while, his hips slapped against her backside, earning continual grunts of pleasure from the woman beneath him.

"Eric," she gasped, "Eric, I-I'm gonna cum." Her back arched, her hips twisted, and the vampire felt her inner walls clamp down on him with hard flutters.

With a snarl, Eric picked up his pace, and managed to finish before her inner tremors subsided. "You cum so fast now, Sookie," he leaned over her back, kissing her nape.

"Mmm," she hummed sedately into the mattress, letting out a groan when he slipped out of her entrance. "Is it true dark now?" she asked, turning her head slightly to watch Eric pull his trousers back over his narrow hips. She moaned at the way they hung off his body before he tightened his belt. "Darlin', you're too sexy to wear clothes."

"And you are too sexy to keep that ass in the air. Unless you want me to fuck you again…?" he finished thoughtfully, and gave her bare bottom a playful, light smack.

Shifting her weight, Sookie rolled onto her side. "I should get cleaned up," she gave a boneless stretch before sliding off the bed and heading to the bathroom.

"We should be able to leave in a moment," Eric called after her, looking in the full length mirror in the closet door to make sure they had not left any embarrassing stains on his jeans or shirttail. Finding all unblemished, Eric grabbed his shoes and put them on. "Ready, Lover?"

"Yeah," Sookie replied, emerging from the bathroom. She quickly grabbed her patrol boots out of the closet and began to lace them.

"You are wearing your 5.11's?" he asked in surprise. "With that outfit?"

"My brother needs to know I'm still ready to kick his ass even if I'm in a skirt," she answered.

"Perhaps some shorts under the skirt, then? I cannot be held responsible for my actions if you let me witness violence and proceed to flash your pussy at me," he growled, wrapping her up in his arms while he kissed her neck.

"Eric," she groaned, "we really don't have time to go again."

"Just remember that I warned you if your leg rises to deliver a kick this evening."

The pair left the house hand in hand, breaking apart only to go to their separate sides and seats in the car. Once they were side by side again, their hands linked automatically. Their drive was comfortably silent all the way to Bon Temps. Eric was aware that Sookie needed time to prepare herself for the evening, and the only communication he offered was a reassuring squeeze of her hand when he felt her worry escalate.

When they pulled into the graveled driveway of the old farmhouse, Sookie groaned when she saw her brother's pick-up already parked next to the back porch. "Am I able to invite you into the house?" Sookie asked, wanting to avoid alerting her brother of Eric's nature before he entered their ancestral home.

"Unfortunately, no," Eric replied. "I will wait here. Your grandmother does not have to greet me to invite me inside her home. She can merely whisper an invitation and I will be able to enter."

Sookie nodded, reluctantly let go of Eric's hand, and walked into the house.

"Hi, Gran," Sookie called, walking into the living room to find Jason lounging on the couch with a beer, and Gran sitting in her rocker with a cup of tea. Her brother did not even look up at Sookie when she walked past him.

"Good evening, Sookie," Gran raised her cheek for the kiss Sookie was aiming at.

After the granddaughter's lips had pressed to the soft, wrinkled skin, she whispered, "Can you quietly invite Eric into the house?"

"Oh!" Gran's eyes lit up at the opportunity to meet her little girl's first boyfriend, "Eric, _please_ come in!" she whispered in a hushed, excited tone.

Eric quickly entered the house once he felt the magical barrier drop to admit him. Once he stepped into the same room as the Stackhouse family, he took a quick inventory of Jason and Adele. "Good evening," he acknowledged Adele and Jason smoothly, making the young man jump from the couch sharply, still clutching his beer by the bottle neck.

"Who are you?" Jason snarled as threateningly as he could.

"Jason," Sookie interrupted gently, "this is my boyfriend, Eric Northman. Eric, this is my older brother, Jason."

Eric nodded at the man and Jason huffed before collapsing back on the couch like a disappointed guard dog, managing to take up most of the space without putting his work boots on the furniture and evoking Gran's wrath.

With her brother taking up the entire couch, Sookie urged Eric to sit in the chair near Gran's rocker and perched herself nervously on the arm of his seat.

"Sookie, Dear," Gran requested, "Will you please help me turn my rocker so I can see your Mr. Northman?"

Sookie jumped to her feet and twisted Gran's chair to face her boyfriend, and then went back to her prior roost.

"Mr. Northman," Adele beamed at the vampire, taking in his overall appearance, "I am so pleased to meet you."

Eric nodded mutely, never letting his gaze stray too far from Jason. The young man seemed calm enough, and the vampire reasoned that Mrs. Stackhouse had not yet broken the news of her illness to him.

"The pleasure is all mine," Eric rumbled, pleased at the flinch his voice made Jason experience. "You have a very lovely home."

"Thank you. It's been in the family for generations," she sighed, appraising the walls sadly. "How did you and Sookie meet?"

Tensing in preparation for Jason's response, Eric answered, "Sookie came to my club nearly three weeks ago to ask if I knew anything about the murders taking place in your town. I own Fangtasia."

"You brought a fucking deader into this house, Sookie!?" Jason planted his feet squarely on the floor.

"Jason Corbett Stackhouse, you watch your language!" Gran hissed.

"Eric is the reason your name was cleared, Jason!" Sookie snapped at her brother. "He's the one who found the real killer and made him go to the Sheriff's office to confess to the murders, so you watch how you speak to him!"

Jason's mouth sneered at the corner, and he crossed his arms over his chest with a huff.

Clearing her throat, Gran returned her attention to Eric. "Er... So you two started dating after you met at Fangtasia?" she asked.

"About a week after," Eric told her. "We spoke or spent time together between our first meeting and the time we chose to begin a romantic relationship, but Sookie was a quite reluctant to admit she wanted romance."

Adele rolled her eyes. "Yes, that would be my Sookie," she sighed.

' _Can't believe my sister's a fucking fangbanger. Always had to be different or weird_. _'_

Sookie ignored her brother's thoughts. She could not hold him accountable for his thoughts, but if he even began to utter those words aloud, she would let him have it.

"What do you two do when you're not working?" Gran asked.

' _Probably fucks her and bleeds her. Bet her thighs look like hamburger meat now.'_

"I take her out to dinner; we go running with her dogs... Last night we went dancing at a Jazz club," Eric recalled.

' _Wonder if that's why she took up wearing skirts. Easy access panel for dinner.'_

Sookie's shoulders were tightening with every one of Jason's maliciously crude thoughts.

"That sounds lovely," Gran laughed. "I am glad to hear Sookie's finally getting to have a real relationship." Eric glanced at Sookie worriedly. He could feel anger welling up inside of her, and it did not take a telepath to understand why. With the way her brother was staring daggers at her, it was obvious to the vampire that Jason was thinking unsavory things about his sister's relationship. "I can't remember the last time I saw her in a skirt. I think it was elementary school! You look so lovely, dear."

"Thanks, Gran," Sookie replied mechanically, staring at the cold fireplace behind Adele's back.

"Yes, her new wardrobe is very appealing," Eric agreed, squeezing Sookie's knee and trying to send her his reassurance.

' _I bet you think so. Easy fucking-'_

"Excuse me," Sookie rose sharply from the arm of the chair and briskly left the room.

"Pardon me as well," Eric murmured to the group so he could follow his lover to the outside porch. He could hear Adele hissing reprimands at her grandson while he departed.

"Sorry," Sookie groaned when Eric came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You'd think with all the crap I hear all day long, I could handle my brother's mental snarking."

Eric planted his chin into Sookie's shoulder as he whispered, "It is always more difficult with people whose opinions mean something to you."

"I couldn't care less about his opinion. He just knows my rule. I never call someone out on his or her thoughts. He knows he can think whatever he wants at me, and I won't bite until he actually says or does something."

"Do you want to scrap, Miss Stackhouse?" Eric asked in surprise.

"I just want to be able to give him a piece of my mind the way he gets to give his!" she snapped.

"Would you like me to force his hand?"

"You're not glamouring my brother, Eric." Sookie sighed.

Eric smirked, "I think I know how to get your brother to open his mouth... Maybe even throw a fist."

Sookie's eyes widened, "How?"

"Just keep your back to Adele, and I will handle the rest."

Sookie frowned, but nodded in agreement. When the pair went back to their seats in the living room, Adele apologized profusely for whatever it was that had upset him and Sookie.

"It was nothing, Adele. Sookie has just been restless as of late. Work has put her on administrative leave while they investigate the shooting from last weekend."

' _HA! You're gonna get fired, you stupid fangbanger!'_

Sookie might have snapped at that thought, but she was distracted by Eric's cool hand trailing up her calf. Her eyes widened, looking at her boyfriend in alarm as he met her thigh and gave it a firm squeeze.

' _What the fuck? In front of Gran?!'_

"Oh! At least she'll be out of danger for a little while," Gran commented. "If you want to do me a favor, Mr. Northman, you could convince my granddaughter to give up law enforcement!"

"She knows my opinion on the matter. That is all I can do for now," Eric replied, lazily ghosting his fingertips beneath her skirt. Sookie wriggled away in response.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?" Jason roared while he witnessed his little sister squirming against a vampire's hand under her skirt.

"What are you talking about, Jason?" Sookie asked innocently.

"Turning into a fangbanging whore! That's what I'm talking about!" Jason snarled.

"There's only one set of fangs I bang, Jason, and he doesn't pay for it. Now if you were referencing promiscuity, go yell at a mirror. I may bang fangs, but at least I don't screw the trash that you do," Sookie snapped right back. "Now either calm down and shut up, or we're leaving and you can listen to Gran tellin' ya off the rest of the night!"

The room was hushed in silence after Sookie's hissing tirade. When it had ended, Eric was smirking, Gran looked scandalized at both of her grandchildren's behavior, Jason's face was red with anger, and Sookie looked ready to brawl.

"I don't know what's gotten into you two," Gran began in an angry whisper, "but whatever it is- it ends now. I did not raise you two to scream, yell, or throw obscenities around in front of guests!"

"She's the one letting her boyfriend finger her right in fucking front of me!" Jason hollered.

"He was doing no such thing!" Sookie shrieked back at him.

"The hell he weren't!"

"He squeezed my thigh and that was it, Jason! What's more, he wouldn't have done it if you'd been man enough to talk about your anger instead of childishly thinking rude things at me from the second I walked through the door."

"Ain't my fault you don't like what you hear. You know what they say 'bout eavesdropping."

"I can't turn it off, and you know how much harder it is to ignore when someone's thinking at me intentionally. You may as well have been shouting in my ear."

"That is ENOUGH!" Gran boomed from her chair, making the siblings freeze. In all of their years, they had never heard their grandmother raise her voice in front of company. Their eyes widened childishly while they both sunk back into their seats. "Mr. Northman, I am mortified at what you've witnessed this evening."

"It is quite all right, Adele," Eric assured her. "I am very sorry that my presence has only made an extremely difficult evening a greater strain for you."

Jason frowned at Eric's comment. "What do you mean 'an extremely difficult evening'?"

Gran sighed, "Jason, I asked you over here tonight to tell you some news."

' _She didn't say bad news, just news. She didn't say bad. She didn't say bad.'_

"It's bad," Gran murmured.

' _Fuck! No, no, no, no, no. NO!'_

"I'm at stage four Liver Cancer, Dear," Gran told him. "I've got maybe a little over a month left-"

Jason rose to his feet and began pacing. He ran his hands through his hair while he quickly walked back and forth between the archway and the coffee table. "-it could be a little less now. I've chosen to forgo treatment. My funeral arrangements-"

"Please, Gran, stop! I can't take it. I really, really can't!" Jason stopped his pacing to fall onto his knees in front of Adele. He buried his face in the old woman's lap as he began to sob, and his Gran soothed his hair like when he was a small child. "I don't want you to go," he choked.

Sookie turned her head from the scene, regretting it instantly when Eric's hand reached up to push away her tears. ' _I want to do that, too_ ,' she thought sadly, glancing longingly at Gran comforting Jason, wanting desperately to be part of that moment.

"Go on," Eric urged softly, giving her a careful nudge off the armchair.

Biting her lip, Sookie tentatively took a step toward her family. In a shy, childlike way, she stood with tears streaming down her face; wringing her hands in front of her while she stared at the floor. Eric thought she looked awfully young in that moment.

"Come here, my little darling," Gran said to the frozen girl, and Sookie fell next to her brother and broke down crying. "You two are all we have left, my dears, the last two Stackhouses. Jason, you need to settle down with a good girl and stop blaming your sister for not fixing all of your problems. She's the only family you have left. Sookie, I will pray until my dying day that you leave the police department before it turns you insane. You need to realize you can still help people and do great things without risking your own mental health!"

Sookie and Jason nodded against her thighs, ready to agree to anything their grandmother asked if it meant they could make her happy and keep her that much longer.

Eric rose from his seat deftly and silently walked out the front door. Sookie needed time with her family and the family needed to not be gawked at while grieving. A small sound of relief escaped his lips as he left, seeing Jason Stackhouse wrap an arm around Sookie and hold her close as they both bawled together. As much of a disliking Eric had taken to Jason already, he knew that Sookie would be greatly troubled if she lost her brother as well as her grandmother. Unfortunately, there was always the possibility that Jason was playing nice for Adele and would abandon Sookie after the old woman was gone.

That thought made the vampire angry. In that moment, he was uncertain if he could refrain from beating the older Stackhouse sibling to death if he was to be so deceitful.

The vampire endured another half hour of listening to Adele coo comfortingly to her grandchildren, and then Eric began to wonder if Adele was in need of any such consolation.

When Jason departed, still wiping tears from his eyes, Eric returned to the living room to find that Sookie had cried herself into a fretful sleep, still kneeling with her head in Adele's lap.

"Poor thing," Adele murmured softly. "This is hardest on her. Having to hear my worries and her brother's sadness... More than fear of her being killed, I fear what that job is doing to her mind," she confessed to the quiet vampire. "She's always been so sure that she can handle anything, or just flat out ignore things that would torment anyone with a weaker spirit." Looking at her granddaughter's lover, Adele asked, "Is she happy?"

Eric smiled, "Sometimes. I do not know how she feels through most of the daylight hours, but when I am aware, she seems happy most of the time."

"That's good," Adele whispered, stroking Sookie's hair.

"How are you holding up, Adele?" Eric asked.

The old woman let out a long sigh, "I'm frightened, not as much as I was, but still quite a bit. Not about dying, mind you. I'm frightened for Jason and Sookie. What will happen if they drift apart without me? What happens if Sookie gets hurt? What if the boyfriend of one of Jason's lady friends comes at him with a shot gun?" her voice was rather teasing with her last example. "I want so much for them, but now I'll never know if they'll have any of it."

"Sookie shares many of your fears," Eric told her.

"She may have gotten them from me," Adele replied honestly.

"Perhaps," he agreed.

"Is there any chance you will actually be able to get her to leave her career?" Adele asked after a long pause.

Eric let out a long sigh. "If she falls in love with me, there is a good chance. Adele, since I will not have the opportunity in the future, I would like to ask for your blessing now."

"My blessing?"

"To take Sookie as my wife."

"My goodness!" Adele gasped. "So soon?"

Eric shook his head. "I would prefer to wait a while before broaching the topic seriously, but that is the path I see us heading toward. I want you to know that I can take care of her in any and all possible ways, but you should realize that she will never have children if she chooses me, and if we were to marry by my kinds' ways, she would become vampire in the future."

Adele smiled softly, "I will always support what makes Sookie happy. If you are honest with her, and let her make her own decisions on any and all circumstances; I give you my blessing."

"Thank you."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review, and I will see you all on Wednesday!**

 **-Andi**


	15. Chapter 14

Never End

 _A/N: Okay, okay, so I'm early, but I doubt anyone is complaining, right? Early shift tomorrow and too much vodka tonight, so I figured it'd be better to post now instead of trusting "Hungover Andi" to remember before work in the morning! Enjoy, and please review!_

 _As always, thanks to Msbuffy for the editing prowess she has exhibiting all over this story. You're a doll!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Fourteen: Buffing, Baring, Ballrooms, and Birthdays**

"Time to wake up, Birthday Girl," Eric's voice caressed her dreaming ears and Sookie moaned, pulling herself to his side. The vampire chuckled and patted her rear patiently.

"Eric," she whined, hugging him tightly to her body, "it's _Saturday_. I don't need to be up this early."

"I know, but I wanted to tell you 'Happy Birthday' well before sunset," Eric explained with a playful pout.

"You told me last night just after midnight, and then again while I was falling asleep," she complained. "Let me sleep. Work was murder all week."

"Ha ha," he laughed blandly at her bad pun.

"Please? Can I go back to sleep?"

"Lover, it is nearly nine," he warned.

"Ugh, what time is my spa appointment again?" she grumped.

"Noon."

"I can sleep another hour."

"I cannot remain aware another hour," he complained.

"Then don't fight it, fall asleep with me," she purred, wrapping her leg over his hip as she squeezed his body to hers.

"Sookie," he gave a warning growl at her advancements. "I certainly cannot remain aware for _that_ without succumbing to the bleeds."

"That'd be a nice change, you passing out on me, rather than me passing out on you," she mused.

"Do you really think I could just allow the sun to take me away like that?" Eric questioned huskily. "If I were fucking you, the sun could rise in this very bedroom and I still would not stop until you were screaming my name as you came."

"Mmm, you make this birthday girl feel so special," she kissed his lips and Eric gave her bottom a firm swat.

"Keep that up, Miss Stackhouse, and you will receive all twenty-six of your spankings before breakfast," he threatened.

"Ah!" she pressed against his hand. "Do we have enough time?"

"Unfortunately, no," he admitted. His hand drifted from around her backside to the front of her, and then dipped between her thighs. "Oh, I cannot leave you like this on your birthday!" Eric leaned in and kissed her deeply. "You are already dripping," he said, slithering down her body and rolling himself atop her.

As he settled between her legs, Eric took her knees into his hands and pushed them upward until they were held on either side of her chest. Her slit opened invitingly to him in this position, and her raised pelvis always made Sookie wriggle with vulnerability and desire. An undeniable enjoyment came to her whenever her lover exposed her in this way. She felt free of strength and weakness alike. She was just a woman with her man when Eric stripped away her badge, gun, and title.

Sookie's inner revelations were silenced when Eric's mouth encased her sex. His tongue plunged in and out of her pussy at vampire speed, and his teeth scraped against her clit in a delicate way that only a vampire could possibly manage.

"Mmm, Eric. Oh! Eric," she rasped as she shimmied her hips against his mouth until he finally finished fucking her with his tongue, and then put the muscle to use against her sensitized nub. When his mouth encased her swollen little bud she cried out. As his tongue began to flick it at supernatural speed, Sookie screamed with an abrupt orgasm.

"Happy Birthday," Eric murmured between her legs, giving her sex slow, coaxing laps with his tongue while she settled back down from her climax.

"Best birthday ever," she agreed breathlessly.

"I must succumb to the sun now, Dear One," Eric warned, crawling up the bed once more. Sookie grabbed his face as it came within reach of hers and she kissed him long and hard before letting him go to his day rest.

After he was unaware for the sunlit hours, Sookie clambered out of bed and began her day. She went running with her dogs, took them back to her apartment, showered, ate a light breakfast, and then dressed for the her spa trip.

Looking at the clock, Sookie realized that she had blown through her available time to herself and quickly put on her shoes to leave for her salon appointment.

By the time Sookie was done being waxed, pulled, buffed, snipped, clipped, painted, and rolled, she was ready to return to her apartment. That was where she had hidden her dress from Eric's terribly curious eyes. The last few hours of every day since he found out the dress was in her apartment closet had been spent muttering, 'Eric I un-invite you, Eric I un-invite you,' just so he was unable to sneak a peek.

Trent had stared at her worriedly those first few evenings until she explained that she was hiding a surprise for Eric at her apartment and that he had sneaky ways of gaining entry without her invitation. The Were had laughed at her story.

Popping in a movie to pass the time until she could finish getting ready for the fundraiser, Sookie sat on the couch, foot bobbing nervously as she completely ignored her film. Mags and Junes were both whining at their mistress' anxious fidgeting, placing their faces on her lap supportively.

"Sorry, girls," Sookie muttered to her dogs, scratching their heads with the heel of her hand. Her manicure was making her nervous. She had never worn fake nails before and the tiny amount of pressure they put on her nail bed had Sookie paranoid that they might pop off any second.

Anxiously, Sookie kept attempting to watch her movie while continuing to worry about a fake nail flying off, not being able to zipper her dress, her hair falling flat, or her professionally applied make-up running off her face. Around five-thirty, her phone rang and Sookie answered it with a shaky, "H-hi, Darlin'."

" _Sookie,"_ Eric's voice sounded moderately exasperated, _"this is supposed to be a_ _ **fun**_ _evening. Why does it feel as if you are on the verge of a nervous breakdown?"_

"Because I've got it all built up in my head and I bet I jinxed having a good time!" Sookie whimpered into the phone.

Eric sighed. _"Dear One, you are absolutely insane sometimes. Do you know this?"_

"Very well," she assured.

" _Tonight is just about you and me. There is nothing that can make it a dreadful evening other than us, correct?"_ he prompted encouragingly.

"I suppose," Sookie muttered. "But, what if the Chief sees me? What if he speaks to me, and I make an idiot out of myself? My promotion exam for Sergeant is in four months. What if-"

" _Lover, please calm these emotions. If anything was to negatively affect your promotion, it would be the Chief seeing how decadently beautiful you are and stating that such a Goddess had better things to do with her time than clearing the scum of the human race from the streets of Shreveport."_

Sookie rolled her eyes. "You're really over the top sometimes, you know that, right?" she scolded lightheartedly.

" _It took your mind off your worries, correct?"_

Sookie sulked. "A bit."

Eric laughed at her tenacity. _"I will see you in an hour, Lover. Be ready for me."_

"Always," she assured huskily, making her vampire growl.

" _If you have any intention of leaving your apartment tonight, it would be best to not tease me."_

"Yes, Sir."

Eric hung up after that and Sookie giggled to herself. Once alone to her own thoughts, she mentally calculated how long it would take to get ready. She cursed internally when she realized her miscalculation at bringing her dogs back to her apartment. Tonight she wanted to be all wrapped up in Eric, and that would not happen if they had to swing by her apartment after the charity ball to pick up the girls.

Grabbing her phone again, Sookie called Eric as she leashed her dogs.

" _Miss me already?"_ Eric taunted upon answering.

"Hey," Sookie greeted, "I was stupid and brought Mags and Junes back to the apartment with me. Can I drop them off at your place real quick?"

" _Why not bring your things and change here?"_ Eric asked.

"Because I want you to get the full effect when you see me," she pouted as the dogs jumped around her excitedly.

" _Then change in the guest room before I can leave my bedroom,"_ he suggested. Though his plan made perfect sense, Sookie could not help but hesitate to agree. After her silence and contemplation went on a beat longer, Eric laughed and said, _"You wanted me to pick you up as if this was a date, correct?"_ Sookie bit her lip, frustrated that her boyfriend understood her better than she understood herself. _"Is this your way of experiencing high school prom?"_ he asked.

"Oh, shut up!" Sookie snapped irritably.

" _Should I have rented a limo, Dear One?"_

"You're an ass."

" _You wound me!"_ he feigned hurt in his voice.

"Am I really being that unreasonable?" she demanded sullenly.

" _No, not unreasonable,"_ Eric assured her. _"Come, drop the dogs off. I will let them out and feed them before picking you up,"_ he promised.

"You're the best boyfriend, you know?"

" _I thought I was an ass?"_

"You can be both," she shrugged, grabbing her dogs' travel bag and finally taking them out to the car. "Bluetooth kicking in," she warned as she started the car.

When the in-car speaker clicked on, Eric told her, _"You do not have to warn me every time. I can hear your keys as you start your car."_

"Habit."

Eric laughed at her excuse. Whom did she call on her way to and from work before he came into her life? He was not trying to be egotistical or smug, but now he was genuinely curious.

" _Whom did you speak to while driving before me?"_

Sookie squirmed in her seat, embarrassed. "Honestly? It's really only been you. You're the only one I couldn't wait the twenty-five minutes to speak with... I just never wanted you to think I hung up on you or something, and then I made it a habit to warn you just in case the phone ever disconnected whenever I started the car," she admitted shyly.

" _I see."_

"Hey! I can hear that smug tone, Mister!" Sookie snapped playfully at him, making Eric laugh again.

They talked that way for the remainder of the journey until Sookie was pulling into his driveway. "Okay, I'm just popping in and dropping off the girls-"

" _You are not going to sneak into my bedroom for a bit while you are here?"_ Eric sounded disappointed.

"Darlin', if I sneak in there, my hair is not leaving your room intact," she jibed.

" _True,"_ he sighed with exaggerated dismay.

"I'll see you in less than an hour. We can wait," she said.

" _All right, Lover. In an hour."_

Sookie ended the call and left her car running as she took the dogs into Eric's house. Dropping their travel bag on the kitchen counter, Sookie paused a moment before heading back out the door. Opening her purse, she took out a piece of paper, pen, and her new tube of lipstick that she bought at the salon for touch-ups during the night.

Message written, Sookie went to the first door to Eric's room, folded the paper carefully, and slid it under the door before leaving his house.

Eric frowned when he heard Sookie approach his room. A large part of him hoped that she had changed her mind and decided to come to him. Rather than that, he heard her pause before the second door, and then the sound of something sliding beneath the entrance.

Rising from his bed in time to hear his lover run out the door, Eric went to find what she had shoved between the door and sill. On the floor was a small piece of paper that he quickly picked up and opened.

 _~Because I couldn't be so close and not leave without giving you a kiss..._

Beneath the message was a soft, pink lipstick print in the memorable shape of his lover's lips.

Sighing, Eric grabbed his phone and made a few calls before climbing into the shower and preparing for the night. He took his time getting ready; wanting to distract himself for the remaining time he was forced to wait. Wanting, also, to make Sookie's night perfect, Eric meticulously chose his clothing. Though it was a black tie affair and his clothing style was demanding a tuxedo, Eric flipped through his various options. Trying to choose something that spoke of his wealth while not making whatever dress Sookie had afforded look cheap by comparison was tedious. Thankfully, unless someone was to catch a glimpse of the label in his jacket, most would not be able to discern the fine quality of his attire.

He chose a pair of platinum cufflinks, a gleaming pair of black dress shoes, and then shook out his hair to fall lightly along his shoulders. Fussing uncharacteristically over his appearance, Eric glanced at his watch when he heard the honking of a car horn. He had been preoccupied with preparations and not felt true dark approach. Grabbing his wallet and checkbook out of a chest of drawers, Eric pocketed them, let Sookie's dogs out quickly before feeding them, and met the car.

Sookie would kill him when she saw the sleek black limo, but he also knew that deep down she would swoon with girlish fantasy. This fundraiser was her 'Prom', which he had realized weeks ago, and if it would not draw unwanted attention, he would have gotten her a corsage as well.

Instead, he hoped what waited for him in the back of the limo would be enough of a substitute for the high school date staple to appease her wiles.

Taking the small plastic box in his hands as the driver pulled up to Sookie's apartment, Eric smiled and entered her building. He walked slowly up the stairs, slower than a human normally would. Nervous, why was he _nervous?_

Knocking on her apartment door, Eric refrained from fidgeting.

It suddenly struck him that he was feeling _her_ nerves.

"Be right there!" Sookie called from the other side of the door. He heard her bustling around her apartment and the unmistakable sound of awkward feet in heels. Idly, he wondered if he would be carrying her down the three flights of stairs. Before he could entertain the thought any further, the door opened, and Eric felt his eyes widen and his pupils dilate.

There, standing in the doorway, was his lover, looking a vision of sensuality and loveliness. Her satin dress clung to the curves of her body in all the right ways. The sweetheart neckline amplified the impressive bounty of her cleavage with its deep, metallic blue embroidery which swept across her bust and down to her left hip. Tight, thin material pinched her hips alluringly, hugging the tops of her thighs until the slit over her left leg let the material flow like water against her form. Only a hand's width of the smooth material concealed the glorious heaven between those beautifully toned thighs. Behind those sexy legs was the bright cyan hue of the dress's inner lining, flashing playfully against the deep tan of her skin.

Her legs were long, dark, and perfectly stabilized in four inch stiletto heels, where open toes showed off her fresh pedicure. Her French tipped nails clasped a small cyan clutch as she gazed at him shyly, expectantly.

"You are a vision," Eric rasped, finding his voice buried under a deep layer of lust and fantasy. His words caused Sookie to bow her head with an adorable blush staining her cheeks. "You just need one more thing to complete the look," he said, holding out the small plastic box and popping it open.

Sookie looked at the box curiously, laughing at what he held. Inside was a small hair comb with large magnolia blossoms discretely wired to it with accents of juniper berries. Wordlessly, Eric took the comb in his hand, gathered a lock of hair from her face, and combed the adornment into the loose tendrils of her hair.

"It's perfect," Sookie whispered, capturing his hand as he pulled it away.

"Then it matches the woman who wears it," Eric replied as she kissed the hand she had taken. "Shall I take you to the ball, my Sookie?"

"Yes, please," she beamed up at him as she locked and shut her door, and then allowed Eric to weave her arm around his as they walked down to the apartment building's main floor.

Sookie surprised him by not faltering on the stairs though he could practically feel how hard she concentrated with every step. When they came to the front door, Sookie groaned.

Eric grinned.

"You _didn't_!" she cried out, seeing the limousine.

"I did, and you will love it," he assured, leading her out the door and opening the back of the limo for her. He went to the other side to enter rather than making Sookie slide across the seat.

"Eric," Sookie protested softly, "we're going to look so... So... Over the top in this!"

Eric laughed, "Dear One, it is a charity fundraiser. We will not be the only ones arriving in a limousine," he assured.

"Are you sure?" she whimpered.

"I am positive. I have been to such things. I attended last year's fundraiser."

"Really?" Sookie asked in surprise.

"Yes, it was the first year I donated to the department, and I was sent an invitation just like this year."

"They just _sent_ you an invitation? Tickets cost a few hundred dollars, and they just invited you?" Sookie asked, surprised again.

"I donated quite a bit of money," he responded offhandedly. "Charities tend to extend invitations to fundraisers to those who openly throw money at them."

"Oh," Sookie mumbled. "Well, thank you for doing that. I'm sure it helped stop all the raids on your club, but even if it was a pragmatic gesture the department appreciates it."

"You are very welcome," Eric contemplated her dress a moment before saying, "That shade of blue looks striking against your tan."

"Thanks," Sookie answered unclearly, still unable to take a complement after nearly two months of Eric showering her with them. "I really like my hair comb," she let her fingers touch it delicately. "The juniper accents my dress really well." She brought her hand back to twist with the fingers of the other. "Is that why you were asking me what my favorite flowers were a few weeks ago?"

"Yes, and your response, 'I never really thought about it' was extremely useful," he teased.

"So you just took my dogs' names and ran with them?" she laughed.

"I did," he admitted. "I thought that even if you were not fond of magnolias or juniper, you would at least appreciate the allusion and gesture."

"Very much," she agreed.

"Would you like a drink, Sookie?" Eric gestured to the small bar in the spacious back of the vehicle.

"Uh, sure," she gawked at the well-stocked bar, fumbling slightly with the glass Eric handed her as he mixed a gin and tonic in it. "This is pretty luxurious," she said quietly, sipping her drink. "Very roomy."

Eric smirked at her over her glass. "If you wish to continue the prom fantasy at the end of the evening, there is enough space that I could fuck you back here." Sookie's face reddened and she glanced nervously at the driver. Catching the reason behind her hesitation he stated, "There is a partition."

Sookie downed her drink.

"Either way," Eric continued in a throaty timbre, "at some point in the middle of the evening, I _will_ take you aside and fuck you." The crimson stain across her face began traveling down her neck. "I want to smell my scent dripping out of you while you dance and talk with all of those uptight politicians. I want to see every man's head turn to watch the way your ass moves right after a good fucking, and I want to put my hand on your hip, just so they know only _I_ can make your body move that way."

Before Sookie could stammer a reply, Eric's mouth smashed against hers, and her hands reached up to tangle in his mane of golden hair. She moaned against his lips, hitching her legs over his, and managing to crawl into his lap without tearing her dress. Eric's hand was between her thighs instantly, caressing the delicate silk of her thong.

"Can I have these tonight?" he murmured against her mouth, tugging the thin material of her panties with hope.

"Yes," she breathed into his kiss, moaning as he swiftly stole the undergarment and shoved it into his breast pocket. "You have to give them back after you get me alone though," she warned softly. "I need _something_ to keep you from dripping down my legs all night."

"Oh, but Lover, it is so sexy watching my essence running down those beautiful tan thighs," he nipped at her throat. Sookie groaned, unable to keep the slight flexing of her hips under control. "Would you like another drink, my Sookie?" Eric asked quietly against her skin, and Sookie could not help but wonder how her lover made that inquiry sound like ' _Would you like my cock in you?'_

"Yes," she whimpered, feeling slightly disappointed when he poured her another gin and tonic.

"What?" Eric chuckled, feeling the lust roll off her and the flare of disappointment when he made her drink. "Not enough gin?"

She pouted up at him and sipped her drink slowly. It would not do to be buzzed before even arriving at the party. The last thing she needed was for her superiors to see her drunk, and then, potentially, falling out of her dangerously cut dress.

"Eric," Sookie began quietly after a long moment spent processing several terrible scenarios in her head.

"Yes, Dear One?" Eric was playing with the fingers of her free hand.

She remained quiet a moment longer, "Help me have fun tonight? No matter what? Help me just be a girl going to the big dance with the greatest man she's ever known, OK?"

Eric beamed down at her, "I promise."

Soon the limousine was pulling up to the city's largest art gallery while Sookie was taking deep, calming breaths as the driver hopped out of the car and came to open her door. Eric slid closer to her, making her wish he had been the first to exit. There was a small cluster of reporters whom Sookie could read in their minds had drawn the short straw to cover the fundraiser. When they saw a limo, they immediately flocked over to see which politician or government official had arrived.

"This will not take long, Dear One," Eric soothed, giving her hand a squeeze.

Sookie nodded at him as her door swung open and the driver held out his hand to help her from the vehicle. Cameras nearly blinded the detective and the lights only became a strobe when she felt Eric arrive at her side.

"Mr. Northman," a female reporter shouted over the babble, "who is your date?" Her fake red hair was severe in its dome-like bob.

"You do not recognize Detective Sookie Stackhouse?" Eric answered her question with his own surprised inquiry.

The camera flashes paused for the briefest moment before kicking back into high gear, and Sookie resisted the urge to shield her eyes.

"Can you please give us a pose?" A cameraman called to them, and Sookie felt Eric's hand rest on her hip as he tilted her toward the one who spoke the request.

"Relax, Dear One," Eric murmured in her ear when he saw a panicked smile stretch her lips unnaturally. His hand gave her hip a soothing squeeze and he smiled gently as her body melted into his touch, her expression softening while she turned her genuine smile up at him.

"Thank you so much," the cameraman called gratefully.

Ushering Sookie toward the entryway, Eric tilted his mouth to her ear, "See? That was not so bad, now was it? It would be just like showing up to your prom and having your picture taken for memorabilia, right?"

"I guess," she laughed in return. When they arrived in the Special Event room, Sookie took in the stark white walls that were covered with the National, State, and City flags. Tangled banners of blue, white, and yellow decorated the spaces unoccupied by the flags, and each table was set with a white cloth and a large blue vase of yellow roses for the centerpiece.

Men and women dressed to the nines walked briskly across the room, shaking hands and kissing cheeks in greeting. A seven-piece band was set up on a short platform in front of what would serve as a large dance floor, and a few party-goers were bobbing their heads to the upbeat jazz number the group was playing.

"What do we do now?" Sookie asked once she had observed her fill of the scenery.

Looking down at her with cautious amusement, Eric told her, "You could have another drink, we could dance, and we could go to our table and see if there is anyone with whom we might want to converse... We could scout for discreet little hideaways for later this evening..." he purred that last part while trailing his hand down her thigh.

"Er," Sookie fidgeted with her clutch. She had already sucked down two gin and tonics on the way, and she could not risk making an idiot of herself in front of the Brass as well as politicians. Dancing seemed a bit risky while still adjusting to the unnatural incline of her stilettos. Talking to the people at their table... What if she said the wrong thing to the wife of the Police Chief? "Let's go look for hideaways," she said softly.

"Sookie," Eric looked at her warily, "if you wanted to spend your evening having sex with me, we could have stayed at my house."

"I don't know what to say to these people," Sookie said self-consciously. "My dress looks too... _juvenile_ to be here."

"If I believed your dress was inappropriate, I would have warned you against it."

Sookie rolled her eyes, "What would I have worn, then?"

"We could have swung by Pam's and found you something more suitable. You two are similar enough in size that she could have made the needed alterations before we had to leave," Eric explained, shrugging.

"No one else is wearing a dress with a slit this high," Sookie fretted.

"That is because no one else has your glorious legs to show off," Eric teased, trying to lighten her mood. "Come, dance with me," He held out his hand.

"I don't know if I can in these shoes."

"You will be fine," he reassured, tugging her toward the dance floor. "Forget where we are, Sookie." He placed her hand on his chest and took the other into his grasp, pulling the woman along the floor. "It is a night of dinner and dancing. That is all. Maybe some big spending," he added as an afterthought.

"Spending?" Sookie asked.

"It is a fundraiser. There will be an auction. Just let me know if there is a lot you wish me to buy for you."

"I've never been to an auction before," she said, forgetting her shoes and the other people around her as they spun around the floor.

"It is nothing particularly noteworthy. There is a card at your seat placement with a listing of the lots that will be auctioned," His voice melted into liquid chocolate as he added, "If you do not see anything you wish to have, we can always sneak away at that time or slip away quietly after you have bought what you desire."

Sookie moaned under her breath at his suggestion. "There's nothin' on that list I want more than you, Darlin'."

Smiling down at her, Eric tilted his mouth to hers, giving Sookie a slow kiss that matched the tempo of their dance. It was short-lived, however, because Eric knew how to behave at such an event, and he disengaged the kiss well before Sookie wished.

"Mr. Northman," a voice growled behind Sookie's back, one that she immediately recognized.

"Captain Kleinman," Eric greeted stiffly, confused by the Homicide supervisor's tone.

"Who is your date?" Kleinman demanded.

Chuckling in understanding, Eric gave Sookie an encouraging spin until her back was to his chest and his arms were draped naturally around her body, "Why, Sookie, of course."

"H-hi, Captain," Sookie greeted shyly, her face going red at Kleinman's blatant appraisal. "I didn't realize you'd be here tonight..."

"Stackhouse!" Kleinman's face brightened immediately. "You look absolutely lovely! Northman, would you object if I stole your date for a dance?" he asked pleasantly.

Sookie panicked. Could she dance without Eric watching her step?

"Of course," Eric laughed, placing Sookie's hand in her supervisor's. "Meet me at our table when you are done, Sookie."

With that, her vampire turned away, and Sookie tentatively allowed Kleinman to pull her closer. He seemed to understand her hesitation, placing her left hand on his shoulder before taking her right into his hand.

"I saw Northman dancing with you from across the room and I was furious," Kleinman began conversationally as he began leading Sookie around the floor. "I thought 'how dare he dance with a woman like that when he's got the finest woman in the world already'!" Sookie's face went a deep shade of red. "I never would have guessed I would see you dressed in something like this," he chuckled. When his subordinate did not reply, Kleinman looked down at her curiously. "I am not sounding inappropriate, am I?" he asked worriedly.

"N-no," Sookie stammered.

Kleinman could feel her fingers tapping nervously against his shoulder and he shook his head with a laugh, "This is really uncomfortable for you, isn't it?"

"Wh-what?" Sookie asked softly.

"All of these eyes on you, looking like envious cats or ravenous dogs."

"Eyes?" Sookie looked around to find her captain's observation was perfectly accurate.

' _I want to run my tongue all up and down those legs...'_

' _I'll kill him. FRANK, stop staring at her tits!'_

' _I'd put my dick all over-'_

Sookie immediately blocked out the rest of the thoughts. She had heard more than enough to make her body go rigid. Though she had always been aware that she was pretty and that men fantasized about her regularly, Sookie had never thought of herself as 'enviable'. She had never made wives jealous of the attention she earned from husbands. She had never been the focal point of such a staggering amount of desire.

 _Am I beautiful?_ Sookie thought with sudden bewilderment. Her eyes were wide with alarm when the song ended and her supervisor departed leaving Sookie to walk with locked shoulders to where Eric sat.

"Are you all right, Dear One?" Eric asked quietly when Sookie sat down with a relieved sigh.

"I wasn't paying attention to the rest of the room when you were with me. After you walked away... It was difficult not to notice everything around me," Sookie whispered back.

"Ah, I suppose that I should not leave you then," Eric replied, taking her hand in his.

"Oh, Detective Stackhouse!" an older woman who sat across from them noticed the petite blonde. "I'm Mrs. Duponte. It is such a pleasure to meet you in person!"

 _Duponte? Caroline Duponte!?_ Sookie thought frantically. _As in the governor's_ _ **wife**_ _!?_

"It is an honor to be seated across from you, Ma'am," Sookie replied with amped enthusiasm.

"Oh, Mr. Northman has been a delight to be seated with these past two years," Caroline beamed at the vampire. "It's too bad he doesn't donate so graciously to Baton Rouge or New Orleans, that way we could have the pleasure of his company at the formal law enforcement fundraisers all across the state."

"There is wealth flowing from much more prestigious vampires in Baton Rouge and New Orleans," Eric told her smoothly.

Caroline's face scrunched minutely as though she were trying not to blanch at a foul taste. "Yes, Ms. LeQlerc is quite the dinner guest and Mr. Dumarr as well," she added as an afterthought. _Flashy and boring... Quite the dinner guests,_ Caroline thought distastefully.

"Is Ms. LeQlerc a contributor as well?" Sookie asked as sweetly as she could muster.

Refocusing her attention on Sookie, Caroline smiled at the younger woman, "Yes, she has donated a rather considerable amount to the New Orleans' police departments." _And practically gets away with murder because of it_ , Caroline added mentally.

Sookie frowned, "I take it she takes advantage of the relationship?"

Caroline flinched. _She's just as sharp as they say. How delightful!_ "A bit. Of course, Eric here has taken a few advantages as well with his relationship with the Shreveport P.D., but I must admit I found his pragmatism much more to my tastes."

"Eric and pragmatism seem to be synonymous with each other," Sookie smiled at her date. "He certainly knows how to push the envelope without ripping it to shreds."

Laughing openly, the mayor's wife looked past Sookie's shoulders and immediately sobered, "Oh, here comes my husband."

Sookie snapped to her feet so quickly that Eric had to steady her on the fine lines of her stilettos. "Governor Duponte," Sookie greeted with a sharp, respectful bark.

"Well, if it isn't Detective Stackhouse," Jeremiah Duponte shook her hand eagerly. "Your reputation has reached all across Louisiana, you know?"

"I had no idea," Sookie admitted.

"Absolutely it has!" Jeremiah chuckled. "That sex trafficking bust you had last year threw your name to New Orleans overnight. As you know, the vampire community is quite prominent in New Orleans and they were rocked to the core to discover a vampire was responsible for such a ring." _Don't know why they were so surprised. They're vampires, after all._

"Well, I'm certain if you went to a suburb and found out a human man or woman was dealing in sex trafficking, their community would be quite stunned and upset by it, too," Sookie reasoned.

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

The conversation picked up as the table filled with the most influential of contributors, and Sookie took Eric's hand beneath the table as the mental babble became difficult to ignore. She had never noticed what loud broadcasters politicians were.

Distractedly, Sookie reached for the auction card listing the lots available for bid. Most of the valuables were items donated by companies and organizations donating their own products. A few wealthy individuals had donated jewelry, cars, or other such pricey things. Eric had donated a trip to the Alps!

 _He has way too much money_ , Sookie thought bemusedly.

"See anything you like?" Eric's voice was caramel to her ears.

Taking her eyes from the card and looking into the endless blue of his irises, Sookie smirked, "Now I do."

"Will we be foregoing the auction then?" he asked in that same thick, rich tone.

"Yes, please," she answered with a purr.

"The auction begins shortly after dinner," Eric told her quickly. "When you are through eating, excuse yourself to the ladies room. I will find you."

"Can't wait," she breathed.

"Me neither."

When the food arrived, Sookie had to remind herself not to speed through her meal in anticipation of dessert. She paced herself by chatting with Caroline and mirroring the speed that the diner two seats away had adopted. Of course, this alone was difficult because Eric only needed one hand to drink his golden flute of synthetic blood. That meant his free hand was at liberty to run along her thigh under the table. Occasionally, he would be as bold as to stroke between her thighs.

After several minutes of this teasing, Sookie finally reached for an untouched glass of red wine and took a swig of it. Immediately her face turned a bright red, so vibrant that Mrs. Duponte was urged to comment.

"Oh my!" Caroline laughed. "A bit of a light weight with alcohol, Dear?" she teased in good nature.

"Just red wine," Sookie murmured with embarrassment, not just because it was true, but also because she had taken the sip purposely to hide the growing blush from what Eric was doing between her legs. "Any dry red wine makes my face go red."

"That is a Shiraz," Caroline gestured to the glass.

 _I don't even know what that means_ , Sookie thought. "Does that mean it's dry?"

"Quite," Caroline chuckled.

Sookie wriggled in feigned discomfort, though it was actually due to a rather dexterous finger trying to worm its way inside of her. _How has no one noticed the angle of his arm?_ Sookie thought. "Oh!"

Caroline laughed at Sookie's surprise, unaware that Eric had succeeded in sneaking his finger into her depths and was now rubbing a rather sensitive spot inside her. Looking down at her plate, Sookie noted that she was quite full now and it was the final course. _I'm not leaving that much on my plate..._

"If you'll excuse me, I think that wine hit me a bit harder than usual," Sookie murmured, pausing for Eric to extract his hand before she rose. The men at the table raised themselves good mannerly in response to her departure, and Sookie wobbled her way to the bathroom, urging her legs to behave.

Eric laughed softly to himself as he joined the continued conversation. When the plates were cleared and the auction was about to begin, he rose from his seat.

"I better go check on her," he announced.

"She hasn't had too much, has she?" Caroline asked worriedly.

"Oh no," Eric assured, "she would never allow herself to get inebriated around so many prominent figures. If anything," he whispered to her conspiratorially, "she is probably embarrassed that she allowed her face to get so red."

Leaning in, Caroline whispered back, "She is a very lovely woman. Make sure she knows I'm the only one who noticed her blushing like that, and she has nothing to be embarrassed about in front of me."

"I will do that, Caroline. Thank you."

Eric swiftly left the table after the brief exchange and followed his blood link with Sookie to find her sitting on an upholstered bench near the restrooms. When she saw him approaching, Sookie jumped to her feet and let Eric take her hand.

"Where are we going?" Sookie hissed as he led her up a flight of stairs. His long legs stepped over a stanchion, and he promptly scooped Sookie up into his arms and lifted her over the velvet rope.

"We are going to acquire a bit of privacy. I want more than just a quickie, Lover," he purred into her ear as he set Sookie back on her feet.

On coltish legs, Sookie followed her vampire down a dark hallway, letting his hand and night vision lead her where the half moon barely emitted enough light in the windowed corridor. Finally, Eric brought her to a French door halfway down the hallway and opened it to the evening air. On the second story of the building facing Cross Lake was a balcony onto which Eric promptly pulled Sookie.

"Eric," she breathed as he pressed her against the side of the building. The railing was just low enough that he did not dare risk leaning her against it while she was in an impassioned frenzy.

"Yes, Lover?" Eric replied, falling to his knees before her. His hands reached to hike her dress up a bit further before removing her shoes and drawing her leg over his shoulder.

"What if we get caught?" she groaned as his mouth enveloped her sex.

"Between your telepathy and my reflexes, I think we will be fine," Eric taunted while his hand glided between her folds. "Mmm," he moaned, "so wet!"

His mouth went to work between her legs, his fingers thrusting upward, and his tongue dancing across her well-prepared flesh.

"Ah! I'm so close," she whimpered, her thighs trembling from all of the stimulation he had given her at the dinner table.

"Already?" he teased.

"Shut up and keep licking!" she snapped, holding the back of his head firmly to her core.

Eric chuckled, but obeyed flawlessly. In a matter of moments, Sookie was writhing around his fingers and tongue. While she gripped the railing and restrained a wail of pleasure, Eric turned his head to the side and bit the inside of her thigh. The contraction of her inner walls strengthened at his bite, and Eric drew a mouthful of blood from the wound grateful to have the taste of synthetic blood off his tongue.

Knowing the satin of her dress would not hold to the abrasion of the building's exterior, Eric turned her around and placed Sookie's hands on the siding.

Her reply was to moan and wriggle her bottom at him as Eric flipped the back of her skirt up and slowly sunk himself deeply into her inviting channel.

"Do you like being fucked during the middle of a dinner party, Lover?" Eric asked with a particularly hard thrust. His hands clenched over hers against the building's shell.

"Oh yes," she moaned. "Anywhere, everywhere!"

"Is that so?" Eric praised her response with a rapid motion of his hips that made her want to weep.

"All ya have t' do is ask," she assured, her accent thick with pleasure.

Releasing her hands, Eric pulled down the front of her dress to clutch her breasts roughly.

"Ah!" Sookie yelped, and then let out a heated sob, "Please, Darlin', play with my clit! Only you can do it right!" Her request made Eric growl as he released a bouncing breast and ran his hand down her stomach until it was playing between her folds where his cock was thrusting in and out of her body at an invisible speed. "Oh yes! Oh, Eric! Yes, yes, yes!"

Her back arched painfully as she was wracked with a potent orgasm, the likes of which had Eric holding her tightly to his chest as he shoved himself as fully inside of her opening as he could. His hips jerked in deep strokes as he felt his own climax fill her womb.

"Fuck," Eric snarled when his pleasurable throbs subsided. "My own personal Goddess," he continued holding her close, raining kisses all across her back.

"Mmm," Sookie groaned, "again?"

Eric laughed while he held Sookie to him and slowly sunk to the floor. The woman in his lap wriggled impatiently and Eric disengaged their bodies so that she could face him.

"You are not anxious to get back?" he asked, the chords of his neck straining as she began to rock leisurely against him.

"I thought you didn't want quick?" she gasped when he bucked beneath her.

"No, Lover, I never want to hurry with you. I want an eternity of never hurrying," His thumb reached between her thighs, slowly circling the swollen nub that ached for his touch.

"Oh, Eric," she whimpered, "I love you!"

As the words tumbled from her lips, Sookie realized how long she had been holding them in, unable to believe that they were true.

"As I love you, my Sookie," Eric answered her declaration with his own.

Consumed with the spell of love, Sookie leaned down and kissed her vampire deeply. When she needed air, she began kissing down his jaw, his throat, and the space between his neck and shoulder from which she had managed to shove his shirt away. As she felt her climax build to a crescendo almost too powerful to be real, Sookie bit down on the firm muscle to muffle her scream.

It was not until she heard Eric's roar and tasted the dark syrup of his blood that she realized her mistake. Her realization was momentarily forgotten as Eric bucked frantically beneath her and a series of pleasurable jolts left Sookie's brain disjointed from the rest of her body. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she merely reveled in the taste of his magic warming her throat and belly.

As the couple recovered in a heap of limbs on the balcony, Eric stroked Sookie's back worriedly.

Two accidental mutual exchanges in a month.

"Dear One," Eric whispered.

"Hmmm?" Sookie replied lazily.

"We must take this Bonding business seriously. That is the second time we have inadvertently performed a mutual exchange in little over a month."

"Well, if it keeps happening by accident, maybe it's meant to be?" Sookie teased, too happy and sated to give much care.

"As much as I love the sound of that, you have your career to think about. I have warned you that once we are Bonded, your days in law enforcement may be numbered. I have also warned you that if you Bond with me, I will turn you in the future."

Sookie made a face, "I can deal with the vampire thing, but I'm not quitting my job."

Eric sighed. "You know I would not make you. I have explained-"

"Yeah, yeah," Sookie hushed him. "I don't know that a Bond is going to outdo my stubbornness though."

"Sookie," his voice was almost pleading, "please, try to understand that the compulsion will not be as mild as you believe."

"Fine!" Sookie sighed tiredly. "I'll take it more seriously. No more biting Eric for Sookie. I promise I didn't mean to break the skin."

"I know," Letting out a long exhale of relief, Eric assisted Sookie in rising from his lap. When she was standing, the vampire remained on his knees, taking her silky thong from his breast pocket and helping slide it up her tempting legs. Sookie was righting the top of her dress, annoyed that her breasts did not seem to want to go back into her supports. As Eric stood, fastened his pants, and straightened his lapel, Sookie finally managed to squish her bosom back into the sweetheart neckline, and then began looking for her shoes. Again, it was Eric while running his hands up and down her calves who assisted in strapping her dainty feet into the high heels.

"Ready to dance?" Eric asked gently, wrapping Sookie's arm around his own.

"Yes, please," she smiled in response, letting Eric lead her back down the dim corridor and lift her over the stanchion. As they drew closer to the event room, Sookie could hear music playing, and quickly realized they had missed the entire auction. _Guess I've still never gone to one then,_ she thought with guiltless amusement while her hips rolled fluidly as she walked.

' _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-'_

' _Bend her over-'_

' _On her kne-'_

' _Sucking my-'_

' _Looks like she just got screwed-'_

' _Those hips-'_

Sookie very quickly realized that their absence had not gone unnoticed and apparently she looked the image of 'freshly fucked.' Still, as Eric's hand pressed against her hip and he pulled her onto the dance floor, she did not care. The audience quickly melted away as Sookie twirled around the room in her vampire's arms...

Tired, happy, and completely oblivious to anything negative, Sookie let Eric lead her to the limousine at the end of the evening. She had talked, danced, and eaten fine food. She had moderated her drinking, but still managed to get a pleasant tingling though she could not discern if it was the alcohol or the entire evening that had her riding such a wonderful high.

"You look tired," Eric whispered as he sat beside Sookie in the back of the vehicle.

Nuzzling against his shoulder she murmured joyously, "I've never had such a great night... It's exhausting having that much fun."

"Hmm," Eric frowned, "I thought I had been doing a very good job exhausting you up until now."

"Oh, Darlin', believe me, that stint on the balcony is 97% of my fatigue!" she laughed quietly.

"Encore?" he asked devilishly.

"I want to do it slow," she moaned, "and we don't have time for slow in here."

"I can always tell the driver to meander until I say otherwise," Eric teased, leaning his face toward hers and capturing her lips.

Moaning against his mouth, she replied, "Yes, please."

Pulling away from her lips, Eric called to the chauffeur, "Walkerson, drive us around the city. We are not ready to return home just yet."

"Very good, Sir," Walkerson replied as Eric moved forward to hit the button which raised the partition. When the driver was out of view, Sookie shivered in anticipation at the expression Eric aimed toward her.

Before she could utter a sound, Eric pressed his mouth back to hers, tangling his fingers into her hair as he had longed to all night. Soon she found her body pressed against the seat that ran lengthwise through the back of the limousine and she eagerly parted her thighs to cradle his hips.

"Slowly," she whispered in a soft reprimand. Eric's reply was to grumble begrudgingly, but he complied with her request by sedating his kisses.

Gently, carefully, Eric caressed her skin with his lips and hands. He whispered and murmured against her flesh, reveling in the way her nails scraped against his scalp and beneath his shirt. Her own soft croons were a tender embrace to his eardrums, her sweet breath the only air he needed to survive.

Roaming palms found the fastenings of his trousers, and Eric groaned when Sookie released him, advancing the slow undulations of their bodies to the promise of intimate contact. Her hand stroked him at a pace he found almost maddening.

"Faster?" Eric asked with a gasp when her hand tightened just right.

"Mmm," she hummed agreeably, wriggling beneath him so that she could part her thighs further and rub the head of his cock against the silk of her thong.

Slipping his hand between her legs, Eric pushed the tiny scrap of fabric aside and painstakingly eased into her wetness. She arched and moaned beneath him, enjoying the fullness he brought her. "I love you," she whispered for the second time that night, making Eric's heart rejoice.

"I love you, Sookie," he returned, kissing along her jaw as his pelvis pressed against hers, making both release simultaneous moans.

Slow and delightful thrusts were set into motion, easing the lovers into a hypnotic daze. Their rhythm took away exterior sights, sounds, and sensations to the point where the slightest disturbance of the limo jostling over a pothole was enough to make both cry in momentary loss of the blissful haze.

When a recognizable tremor began to quake around his shaft, Eric buried his face into the crook of Sookie's shoulder. He could feel the muscles of her body coiling in that special way they only quivered when he made love with her. Moments later she tightened with her greatest strength as a low howl rose from her lips. Her inner muscles contracted violently around him and all of the tension she had built cast away from her body with her climax.

Eric succumbed to her orgasm, thrusting deeply inside of her and allowing her passage to coax him the short distance to his own completion. As he came, his hips rocked frantically against her of their own accord until he was spent and her body was full.

"You're too good at this," Sookie breathed in his ear once she had regained control of her lungs.

"I could say the same about you," Eric murmured back, rubbing the top of his nose against her collarbone.

She did not reply; she merely stroked her hand against the back of his head as her legs and arms held her vampire closely. Eric knew the instant she fell asleep, not just because her breathing evened and her heartbeat slowed, but also because her hand drooped to his shoulder and ceased its petting.

As he withdrew from her body to set their clothes to rights, Sookie let out a small disappointed moan in her sleep. Eric's heart swelled in response, realizing that she still mourned his loss, even in sleep.

Their night ended, Eric instructed the chauffeur to head back to his residence. Assured that Sookie was well covered, he carried his sleeping lover into the house, and laid her in his bed for the night.

Before he was forced to go to rest, he leaned in and murmured in her ear,

"Happy Birthday. I love you."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! Can my gift be the glorious one known as 'reviews'!?**

 **-Andi**


	16. Chapter 15

Never End

 _A/N: I hope you all had a great holiday and that your travels were speedy, safe, and stress-free! Now I'm coming at you with the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy!_

 _As always, thank you to MsBuffy for her editing and polishing ;)_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Fifteen: Conspiracy**

Sookie stretched widely and let out a jaw-popping yawn as she awoke late Sunday morning. To her amusement, her legs were aching all the way from her hips to the tips of her toes. Aside from a few decadent rounds with her vampire throughout the evening, all of the dancing, especially in heels, had left her calves and feet tender.

Reaching for her phone on the nightstand, Sookie found a text awaiting her.

 _Trent: Sookie! You made the front page! The wife says your dress was gorgeous._

Frowning, Sookie pulled herself out of bed, put on her robe, and went to take care of her dogs after retrieving the newspaper on Eric's driveway. While Mags and Junes ran around the backyard, Sookie opened the paper to find exactly what Trent had meant.

There staring up at her in grainy, dull color was a photo of Eric and her standing in front of their limousine from last night. Despite the lackluster quality of the photograph, Sookie had to admit they looked good together. She was staring up at Eric with an adoring gaze mirrored by the impressive features of her lover. She wished longingly that she could have a better copy of the photo to keep, but she was grateful for what she had.

Beneath the photo was the caption, "ERIC NORTHMAN AND DETECTIVE SOOKIE STACKHOUSE."

Directly below the caption was the article,

' _Shreveport's wealthiest vampire stunned our fair city by attending the Shreveport Policemen Charity Fundraiser with none other than our local P.D.'s star detective, Sookie Stackhouse._

 _Detective Stackhouse made the news last month when she was placed on administrative leave after her "justified shooting" of nineteen-year-old Nina Sanchez. She was also in the news last year for her involvement in the roundup of Michael Grosse, the vampire convicted of human trafficking._

 _Stackhouse has not caused much stir as of late, but reliable sources report that she is being primed for yet another promotion to Sergeant in the near future._

 _The question we all want answered though is what the Department's reaction might be to one of their own girls in blue 'shacking up' with a set of fangs!_

 _Stackhouse's commanding officer, Captain Emmet Kleinman, gave this statement, "Stackhouse has given us years of dedicated, hard work and her moral compass has always pointed due North. No one in our Department wants anything more than her happiness."_

 _Fellow officers and several politicians who also attended last night's fundraiser echoed Captain Kleinman's statements._

 _Continued on Page 12A_

Sookie did not turn to Page 12A. She had read enough for one morning, and she neatly folded the paper as not to damage the front-page picture.

Pulling out her phone, Sookie fired a text off to Trent,

 _Looks like I may have struck a few nerves, too._

Her co-worker responded quickly,

 _Trent: Fuck 'em. The Captain said it all just right._

 _Sookie: Well, regardless, I had a blast last night._

 _Trent: Glad to hear it! See you Monday._

 _Sookie: See you then._

Once inside again, Sookie showered, dressed, and left the paper in the living room to later on cut out the picture from the front page. Afterward she packed up the dogs and went to visit her Gran.

Arriving in Bon Temps, Sookie let Mags and Junes run around the acreage while she went to Gran's bedroom and checked in with her nurse.

"How is she today?" Sookie asked quietly, noting her grandmother was asleep.

Patty smiled sadly, "She's about as good as we can expect at this point." Nodding in understanding, Sookie sat in the chair they had placed beside Gran's bed for her visits. "It does her good, having you stop by every day."

"I didn't make it yesterday," Sookie mumbled guiltily.

"She understood why and when she saw your picture in the paper this morning? Oh! Child, she was more spry than I've ever seen her! I think that's what has her all tuckered out. Besides, she pretends to feel guilty for you taking time away from your work having you visit every day," Patty teased mildly.

With a distant smile, Sookie took Gran's cool hand in her own and rubbed it softly. "I've been thinking about that a lot every time I see her," she whispered.

"About her hating your job?" Patty asked.

"Yeah."

"A calling is a calling," Patty encouraged. "Don't go changing your life because you think it will help. You cannot change what is happening to her by granting a selfish request."

"She raised me. I think I owe her this," Sookie murmured.

"She raised you, and the girl she raised became a police officer," Patty insisted. "Whether she can accept that or not, she raised a woman to be a decorated and honored officer of the law."

"I suppose."

"Besides, I read in the paper you're being rallied for Sergeant. Isn't that a lot less time on the street?" she asked.

"Yes, with as small a department as we have, I would spend much less time in action," she admitted reluctantly.

"So, take your time. Don't rush into things," Patty encouraged. "Right now is not the time to be making life changing decisions."

"Yes, Ma'am," Sookie agreed.

"I'll leave you alone with Adele for now. I'll be back before you leave-"

"Has my brother been by recently?" Sookie interrupted.

Patty frowned before confessing, "No. I haven't seen him in over a week."

"I see," Sookie whispered, holding Gran's hand a bit tighter. "I hope he comes around in time."

"Me too, Child, me too." With that, Patty left the bedroom, and Sookie remained, silently sitting and holding Gran's withering hand.

After another half hour, Gran began to stir and Sookie straightened up in her chair.

"Oh, Sookie," Adele rasped. "I saw your picture this morning. You looked so beautiful."

"Thanks, Gran."

"Tell me all about it," she requested, and Sookie began an edited tale of her evening. She told Adele about Eric picking her up at her apartment and giving her the hair comb with magnolias and juniper berries. She described riding in a limo for the first time and having reporters up in her face, snapping pictures. Then she talked about the dancing and the delicious food, followed by more dancing. Finally, she told Gran that she had confessed her love for Eric, and he had declared his own love.

"Sookie, I'm so happy now," Adele's voice whistled from her dry throat, and Sookie quickly brought the straw of the bedside water glass to her grandmother's lips. "I'm so happy you have someone to share your life with."

"I think he wants to marry me, Gran," Sookie whispered nervously.

"He does," Gran agreed. "The first night you brought him to the house, he asked me for your hand. He wanted to have my blessing before it was too late."

"Really?" Sookie squeaked.

"Yes, Darlin'," Gran chuckled choppily.

"Eric's said that if we married, I wouldn't want to be a police officer anymore," Sookie told her sadly.

"I'll call the Reverend!" Adele joked.

"Gran," Sookie admonished gently. "Patty mentioned a good point, though. If I make Sergeant, I won't really be out of the department as much. I could very easily be a paper pusher after that... Especially if I made a formal request. They might transfer me to IA if I do."

"You _hate_ IA," Gran made a face.

"You hate my entire job," Sookie pointed out.

"I don't hate your job; I hate you _doing_ your job."

Sookie rolled her eyes playfully, "Because that's a huge difference."

The two women poked fun at one another a while longer before Adele began to tire once more. When Patty returned, Sookie said her goodbyes, collected her dogs, and drove back to Eric's house. She too felt drained from the afternoon over the emotional ping-pong of happily spending time with Gran warring with the sorrow of knowing these playful conversations would soon end. Forever.

Going into Eric's room, Sookie stripped down to her underwear and curled up against Eric's side. She promptly fell back into a fitful rest.

{†}

Arising to the late afternoon, Eric looked down at the small woman nestled into his side. He could smell Adele on her skin, and knew that the numbered visits with her grandmother had once again taken their toll on Sookie. It was not difficult for Eric to recognize how trying this past month had been on his lover.

Rather than waking Sookie with kisses, Eric played unobtrusively with the ends of her hair. He did not know how long he lay beside her, contemplating her worried expression, but the moment was interrupted by the deep thrumming sound of his cell phone; the only ringtone that would not jerk Sookie awake.

Reaching for the phone, Eric was surprised to see who was calling.

"Your Majesty," Eric answered quickly.

" _Northman, I've just seen your picture in the paper!"_ Sophie-Anne's voice sang happily at him.

Eric frowned. He did not know he was in the newspaper, but quickly deduced that it was the photograph of himself and Sookie. Why this picture would have Sophie-Anne practically bubbling with excitement was beyond him.

"Yes, I attended my city's law enforcement fundraiser," Eric replied slowly.

" _So you know that little detective, then? She seemed quite captivated with you. Do you know her well?"_

"Quite," Eric was more confused.

" _Such a smart Sheriff, getting your ear directly in the need-to-know,"_ the queen praised. _"Have you found her useful?"_

Eric was frowning now, finally confirming that Sophie-Anne was the one pulling Compton's strings. Sophie-Anne wanted something and it obviously had to do with his Sookie. Deciding to wheedle some information, he passively said, "Mildly."

" _Oh, so you are looking for something particular from her? I figured as much,"_ Sophie-Anne replied quickly. _"Do you think you can hurry your little venture along?"_

"I doubt it," Eric whispered, looking at the sleeping woman on his bed.

" _That's too bad; I'd hate to inconvenience you."_

"How could my queen inconvenience me?" Eric tried to sound affronted.

" _I need you to either expedite your intentions with Stackhouse, or forgo your plans entirely. I need you to kill her for me before she causes any more backlash to our community."_

Eric froze. Sophie-Anne was enlisting him to assassinate his own lover?

"I cannot do that," Eric whispered.

" _Of course you can! You have made public appearances with her. Your scent will already be all over her, and the Were cops won't even think twice about your scent being there once they find her body. Just make it look like a mugging or something droll. Even a fall down the stairs will be plenty. I had Compton up there trying to seduce her and do the same thing, but can you blame a girl for only having eyes for the Viking?"_

"Your Majesty, I cannot kill Sookie Stackhouse," Eric looked once more at the dozing beauty in his bed before he uttered, "She is my Bonded."

Silence came over the phone now. After what felt like several minutes, Sophie-Anne hissed, _"When did this happen?"_

"Last night, after we returned home from the fundraiser. It was not premeditated, but we completed our third mutual exchange. We are Bonded now, and any fronts you forge against her are-"

" _I know our laws!"_ Sophie-Anne shrieked and hung up on him.

Eric set his phone on the nightstand once more and sat heavily on the end of the bed. He chanced a glance back at Sookie, finding her still asleep, and finally set his forehead in his palms.

 _'What have I done?'_

He had just lied to his Queen to avoid exacting a command. If any vampire saw him or Sookie before an actual Bond was completed, he would be found guilty of treason, and then suffer his final death.

Never, not once in his thousand years, had Eric Northman put his existence in such a perilous situation. His continued existence on this Earth now rested in the hands of his sleeping lover. Of course he could force the third exchange, but he was well aware of the repercussions of such a thing. A forced exchange did not hold the same influence as a consented Bond. The malice behind such a thing created blood slaves or spiteful little harpies that with whom he would be better off left alone.

"What's wrong, Darlin'?" Sookie's voice broke his thoughts, and he flinched reflexively at being caught off guard. "Eric?" she pressed worriedly, crawling to the end of the bed beside him. "What happened?"

"Sookie," Eric whispered, his heart filled with dread, "I have done something you will not like."

The woman laughed, "What grievous act have you committed in the confines of this room?" Eric turned his helpless eyes upon her and it astounded Sookie. Crooning soothingly to him, she pulled Eric's head to her chest and stroked his hair. "Darlin', what's wrong? What did you do?"

"My Queen called not a half an hour ago... She commanded me to kill you," Sookie flinched, but he was surprised she did not run screaming out of the room. Somehow, she must have sensed that he did not intend to fulfill the order. "I only had one option to keep you safe," he whispered.

Sookie responded immediately, "You told her we were Bonded."

"Yes."

"How long will that give us to actually complete the Bond?" Sookie asked quickly.

Eric pulled his head from her chest and looked her over with alarm. "You are not… Running away?"

"I might not know much about vampire politics, but I can guess enough that lying to your queen is bad," Sookie snapped.

"In this case it is treason."

"Which means?" Sookie asked with far less snarkiness, and much more concern.

"True Death."

"Then we have to Bond," she told him frantically. "Right now!"

"Your career-"

"I'll hold off as long as I can. I'll transfer to IA if I have to and I'll tell the Captain as much as I can to see if he can't direct most of my time around the precinct. We'll figure that out later. This is what's happening now. Just…" Sookie took a deep, long breath. "Just let me save your life now and we'll save my career next, OK?"

"But I will want to turn you someday-"

"I've already accepted that. It doesn't have to be now. I'll come to complete terms with it later, but I have already decided that I want you above anything else. There are many things I want other than you, Eric, but you are what I want the most. I love you. You are the only man I've ever loved, and that's not going to change," After her uncharacteristic declaration, Sookie eyed her lover slyly, "Why? Do you not want me that much?"

Eric snorted, "Absurd! I just put the remainder of my existence in the hands of a twenty-six-year-old. Do you really believe I do not want you with every fiber of my being after doing something that goes against my very nature?"

"Just checking," she teased.

"Oh, Sookie, my sweet Love," Eric leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Taking a calming breath, Sookie pulled his face to her own, finding his lips with her mouth. She kissed him slowly before urging that mouth towards her throat, "Do it."

Eric chuckled, "As much as your resolve comforts me, we must wait for sunset. Another hour or so."

"Oh, right," Sookie muttered. "I forgot it doesn't count between sunsets."

"Perhaps we should take this time so that I may prepare you, to the best of my knowledge, for what is to come," he suggested.

Sookie nodded mutely, pulling away to play with the ends of her hair.

"Vampires feel things more strongly than humans, Sookie. You may find those emotions overwhelming at times. During the day, you will be able to track my presence, but I suppose it would feel much like the void your telepathy senses. You will know where I am, but not what I am feeling until I rise," Sookie bobbed her head in understanding. "As I feel your emotions, mine will be equally available to you; however, once the Bond is complete, we will be able to influence those emotions. We can encourage each other to calm down without words or physical actions; we can fan the passion for one another without even being in the same room."

Sookie finally spoke, curiosity urging a question, "What does all of this mean when you turn me?"

Eric took a deep, unneeded breath, "With our species, it means a great deal. Not only because Bonded Mates are our most treasured gifts, but because of the benefits of obtaining such a wonderful companion. Of course the Bonded Child receives a great deal more benefits than the Bonded Master, or at least that is how non-Bonded vampires see it..."

"How so?" Sookie tilted her head with intrigue.

"Well, a Bonded Child is held to the same regard as the Bonded Master. In this case, I hold the title of Sheriff. When you become vampire, you will also wield my title. You will have the same authority as I do upon your first rising. Of course I would discourage you to use that authority at such a young age..."

Sookie nodded in agreement.

"Also, you will be able to resist the sun much sooner to the same degree that I can. I can remain aware several hours after dawn as well as rise several hours before dusk. Ultimately, I am only left unaware for about eight to ten hours now-a-days, about the same amount of time some humans spend sleeping."

"Wow, that's cool!" Sookie beamed. "Mags and Junes won't have to be ignored for so long then!"

Eric chuckled before continuing, "You will also be slightly stronger than a regular newborn, only by a small degree your first few decades. Once you start sprinting into your centuries though, you will begin noticing a much larger gap between your strength and the strength of those turned around the same time as you. You will overwhelm Pam's strength by your tercentennial."

"What about you? What do you get out of this?" Sookie asked.

With a soft, joyful smile, Eric told her, "I get an eternity with the most precious individual I have ever known."

Sookie frowned. "Sounds like you get the short end of the stick," she grumbled.

Eric laughed, "We speculate that the reasons Bonded Children receive so many advantages is so that they are better able to protect themselves and preserve their existences for the sake of their Bonded Master. After all, weak and impulsive newborn mates would be a huge liability for the Master."

Sookie made a strange face, "That reminds me... Am I going to have to call you 'Master' like Pam does?"

Eric scowled, "Absolutely not. Bonded couples are equals. After your first few centuries, my control over you will wane, and eventually I will be unable to command you at all."

"You'll be able to control me?" Sookie demanded.

"Yes, but only for your safety. That is the other benefit for a Bonded Child. They are only under the Bonded Master's direct control for the first few centuries. It is speculated that it is for the safety of the Child while they are still learning to control their abilities, emotions, and compulsions. Some feel the effectiveness fade earlier than others do, some take longer to grow out of it. Emily is still under Godric's control, but she has only just hit her century mark... I should warn you; however, as I am Godric's Child, you will be beholden to him as I am. His command is law in our bloodline."

"What about his Maker?" Sookie asked worriedly.

"He met his true death several hundred years before Godric made me," Eric grumbled darkly.

"How did that happen?" Sookie pressed.

Eric rolled his eyes, leaning back on the bed, and snuggling Sookie into his side before beginning, "He committed our greatest taboo. He killed another vampire's Bonded."

"Why would he do that?"

"He was a Seer. Guyr did not fancy another vampire wielding such power, so Guyr killed the man."

Sookie frowned, "If he was a Seer, why didn't he 'see' Guyr killing him?"

Eric smirked, "He could not 'see' vampires. Apparently, that was one of his reasons for falling in love with the vampiress. He was no longer plagued with visions of his future when his destiny was so entwined with a vampire."

"Huh, like I can't hear vampires," Sookie murmured thoughtfully. "I wonder if what made him 'see' is similar to what makes me 'hear?'"

Erick shrugged, "It is possible, but it was very long ago. There are no real answers left to find."

"I suppose you're right. Besides, what does it matter where something comes from? If you have it, and it's not going anywhere, what's the point of digging? Although that makes me a bit nervous now..."

"What makes you nervous, Dear One?" Eric asked quietly.

"What will happen to my gift when you turn me?"

"Ah," Eric frowned, "I do not know. Nor do I know what it could do to me."

"What do you mean?"

"To turn you into a vampire, I must drain you of all of your blood. This is the reason that newborns are so ravenous, all they have is the small amount of blood their Maker gave them to make the change, and they are depleted of blood when they first rise." At her confused look, he elaborated, "In essence, I am absorbing the magic of your body, the magic of life. In return, I give you the magic of immortality and all of its repercussions. However, if there are other magics within your body, I could potentially absorb them to some extent."

"So you could steal my telepathy?" Sookie asked aghast.

"I do not believe I would acquire the actual ability, but it is possible you could lose your telepathy once you are turned. It is something for which you need to prepare," Eric warned.

Sookie's heart sunk. Despite the amount of pain and isolation her gift may have caused, the idea of losing it terrified her. To her it was akin to suddenly becoming blind.

"I am sure _someone_ that had special gifts must have been turned at some point. If you like, I will consult with a supernatural physician and have her look into the possibilities?" Sookie nodded silently. "Would you like me to do that before we complete the Bond?" Eric offered. Sookie shook her head. "You are certain?"

"It won't change my mind, Darlin'. We're Bonding regardless, but I want to have some time to prepare if your doctor says I'll lose my telepathy."

"I do not want you to have regrets," Eric whispered.

Taking his face into her hands, Sookie brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss. "Worst case scenario, I have had twenty-six years of being a telepath. I will have an eternity without it. I will adapt, and I will have you. There is nothing I couldn't live without as long as I have you." 

"It feels as though you are sacrificing so much to save me. I cannot bear-"

"Eric, baby steps, OK?" Sookie encouraged. "You don't know that I'll have to quit my job. You don't know if I'll lose my telepathy. Let's just do all this in order, OK? We'll complete the Bond. You'll call this Supe Doc, and I'll keep working until I can't anymore. OK?" Eric sighed, but nodded his assent. "Thank you."

"It still unsettles me knowing that you are placing so many critical facets of your personality at stake. I am not unfamiliar of who you are, Sookie. I understand what being a police detective means to you. I will admit that, for a time, I believed you were unaware toward what your calling does to you. Now, I realize that you understand your strengths better than I. You were not a blind Bullet of Destiny. You are resilient, strong, and selfless."

Sookie snickered, "I'm anything but selfless, Eric. If I were, I wouldn't have held so many people at arm's length. If I were selfless, I wouldn't have allowed you in the way I did. That's OK though, I'm not trying to be the martyr as much as it may seem that way some days. I was selfish in keeping people out because allowing them to know me, or my knowing them too personally would make future abandonment or rejection too painful. I let you in because I selfishly wanted you so badly. You were so easy to allow in, so easy to talk with and fantasize about," she said with a playful leer. "Just maybe, you know, I _am_ a Bullet of Destiny... Maybe you were the mark I was supposed to hit? My gift gave me a sure fire path straight to you, and you will be the one to strip away the remaining fragments of my current life and help me to see the purpose of my future."

Eric contemplated her words for a moment. They seemed perfectly reasonable to him.

"Perhaps you are right, Dear One. Perhaps you are right."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**

 **-ANDI**


	17. Chapter 16

Never End

 _A/N: Well, I was asked if there would be a Wednesday post for New Years since there was one for Christmas, and I though, "why not?" Enjoy!_

 _As always, special thanks to MsBuffy for the edit!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Sixteen: Bonded**

Stroking his lover's cheek with his thumb, Eric leaned over Sookie's flexible form. She sighed as his frame enveloped her own, while her legs and arms twisted around his neck and waist. Mouths finding one another, it was not difficult for Sookie to recognize his intentions. Apparently the sun had set, and Eric was attempting to make their third mutual exchange more than just an urgent response to whatever had caused the threat against them.

It was easy, falling into the rhythm of their bodies, becoming hypnotized by her increasingly ragged breathing and his undulating hips. There was still a fascination, feeling his member growing against the inside of her thigh despite the numerous times she experienced it. Her own body did not take long to respond as her muscles softened under his touch, her nipples hardened against the friction of his chest against her breasts after he had deftly removed her bra, and the space between her thighs began to liquefy in anticipation.

"I love you," she whispered while she felt his fingers tugging at the waist of her panties. As she was divested of her final shred of clothing, she tilted her pelvis against the column of flesh that now rested against her abdomen.

"I love you, Sookie," he whispered, returning the sentiment as his hips drew back and his member aligned with her entrance. Sinking into her inviting warmth, Eric wrapped his arms beneath her shoulders, embracing her tightly as he began to thrust fluidly inside of her.

Moaning softly and welcoming the sedate pace, Sookie kissed his chest and nibbled his collar bone. Her knees flexed, drawing his hips more firmly to hers as her bottom wriggled once he was sheathed as deeply as he could possibly be. Eric hissed at her movements, drawing back enough to find her mouth with his own.

Kissing her, tangling his tongue with hers, and losing his mind in the intimate motions of their bodies, Eric wanted to weep at the sense of completion he was experiencing. In a matter of moments, the woman beneath him would become the epicenter of his world. He would share in her joy and pain for the rest of eternity. He would never again know the loneliness that his fickle Child had only filled for those fleeting spans in time. Sookie would never know abandonment or isolation again. Even while she remained mortal, during the daylight hours when he could not remain aware, she would still feel his presence within her, silent, but reassuring. Always. Forever.

Unable to resist this inviting future, Eric reached for the nightstand to retrieve a dagger. Bringing the blade to his throat, he sliced open a wound, making Sookie's eyes widen hungrily. Her lips needed no invitation as they wrapped around the incision, drawing his syrupy blood into her mouth.

As the pull of her mouth suckled rhythmically against his neck, Eric's fangs snapped down and gently pierced the soft flesh protecting her carotid. She was drinking enough of his blood that the injury would be unrecognizable by Monday morning, and Eric yearned to see his marks claiming the skin of her throat for the first time.

At the first mouthful that warmed his stomach, Eric felt a simultaneous explosion inside. Sookie's formally subdued emotions erupted within him, twinning with his own sensations in such a way that her pleasure and his were inseparable. He could feel both of their climaxes pulsing inside of him. He could feel her love so much strongly than he ever had before, and he would have laughed if he were not already howling in harmony with Sookie's scream of pleasure.

From the moment she had said she loved him the previous night, he had believed that Sookie's feelings paled in comparison to his own for her. As the Bond cemented firmly into place, Eric realized now how wrong he had been. The love rolling at him within the Bond now was beyond any affection to which he had been privy. Pam, Godric, Emily... The three closest individuals he had spent centuries, a millennium, knowing had never loved him in the way Sookie now loved him.

Oh, if his silent heart could beat, it would have raced with ecstasy! It would have galloped with overwhelming joy! Its beats would have pounded 'I LOVE SOOKIE' in Morse code!

Eric slowly licked her wound closed before burying his face between the crook of her neck and shoulder. He kissed the area over and over while he felt her continual throbbing around his cock as if her orgasm refused to end.

"Are you all right, My Bonded?" Eric whispered against her skin after several minutes had passed and she still continued contracting.

"Mmhmm," she whimpered. "Please," she gasped, "calm down. You feel everythin' so strong, Darlin', I-I can't..." she let out another needy sound. "It's... It's like I need another orgasm, and the last one hasn't even stopped yet!" she moaned as she arched against him. Eric smiled against her throat, giving it a playful nibble and making Sookie buck against him. "Ah! Even your touch has a stronger effect on me!" she complained half-heartedly.

"That is to be expected," he assured.

Sookie groaned. "Why didn't you warn me about that?" She demanded with another whimper.

"Honestly? I forgot. The finer details of Bonding are not something I put much thought into until recently. I am quite young to have been inclined to Bond. I only just reached the status of ancient a century ago," he confessed. "Currently, I am the youngest Bonded vampire in our existing history."

"Pam mentioned as much," Sookie mumbled wearily as her orgasm finally receded.

"When did you speak to Pam about such things?" Eric asked curiously.

Sookie looked at him in surprise, "Wow, ya'll really don't talk about your evenings much, do you?"

Eric shrugged, "Normally our link is enough to keep me abreast of her evening's activities."

Sookie sighed, wriggling against her Bonded, and then moaning at the loss when his softening member slipped out of her. She was surprised to feel that loss amplified, quickly realizing that Eric was just as disappointed as her when they were not joined.

"Some time last month... I think it was the day I was put on leave... Anyway, I ran into Pam at the grocery store. She was getting wine for her _guest_. We got to talking about you. Actually, Pam told me about Emily and Godric that night too, but after I shot Long Shadow, I didn't want Pam getting in trouble with you, so I never mentioned anything."

"And now you do not feel the need to protect Pam from me?" Eric asked sternly, but she could feel his amusement so she did not allow herself to get upset by his response.

"No, because everything she told me, you've told me by now, so who cares if I knew it beforehand?" Sookie asked.

"I see," Eric pouted. "How are you feeling?" he asked after a moment.

"You know the answer to that," she teased.

Content. Tired. Loved. Joyous.

Eric smiled, "Yes, I do."

Snuggling into his side, Sookie kissed his chest as he began playing with her hair. "You play with my hair a lot," she commented after a moment.

Eric frowned when she pointed this out, but quickly shrugged it off, "I find it soothing, and since I am trying to keep my emotions in check while you adjust, it is a good distraction for me."

"Oh, well, thank you for trying to make the transition easier."

"Speaking of transitions," Eric began slowly. "What would you say if I asked you to move in with me?" Sookie's heart panicked at the suggestion, but her emotions came across as only mildly apprehensive. "Are you worried it is too soon?" he guessed.

Sookie let out a deep sigh, "Silly, isn't it? I just Bonded to you, made an eternal commitment, and I'm thinking moving in is too soon!" She laughed at how backward her brain was working at that moment.

"With all that has changed in the past forty-eight hours, it would not be unwarranted for you to feel pressed or overwhelmed," he said, trying to placate her self-deprecation.

"I'd love to move in with you, Darlin'," Sookie told him truthfully. "It's gonna be a pain breaking my lease though. I guess I can kiss my deposit goodbye."

"You are not hurting for money though," Eric pointed out.

"I don't want your money, Eric," Sookie rolled her eyes.

"Regardless, it is at your disposal."

"Eric-"

"It is our way, Sookie. Our bloodline shares all of its commodities. We all contribute to its growth one way or another, although I am the one with the best business sense so I am usually the one who keeps track of it," Eric explained.

"Really?"

"Yes. That is why I cannot put an exact number on our finances. With four extremely successful individuals constantly putting money into our gross net worth, it is rather taxing to bother checking every few hours."

Sookie shook her head resignedly, "This going to take some getting used to, but how about this?"

"I am listening."

"If you're planning on giving me access to your bank accounts, then I want to link my direct deposit to one of your accounts. I know it seems stupid considering my income is pennies in comparison, but I don't want to feel as if I'm taking out without putting in," She smirked now. "If the stock market crashes, I want to be just as broke as the rest of you."

Eric chuckled, "We have more than enough money stowed away in the event of the unforeseeable, but I can agree to that." He squeezed her to his side before adding, "Now, if your money is my money, and vice versa, then it is not unreasonable of me to assume that I can buy whatever I like for _us_. Correct?"

Sookie groaned, "Fine, but just like any other couple, we should make big purchases together if it is meant to be _ours_."

"What do you consider 'big purchases'?" Eric frowned.

Sookie's own mouth creased thoughtfully. What would a big purchase be considered in this context? Eric's bloodline apparently had enough money to buy and sell small countries.

"Well," she began slowly, "I guess it would be the frivolous stuff, not really anything specific. I mean, you buying a company would be super expensive, right? Still, I don't know anything about opening or operating a business, so I shouldn't have any sway in that regard. Maybe a few centuries down the line, if I get bored and start taking business classes, I can start weighing in, but currently? I think that would be rather arrogant of me to restrict your buying capacities on that front."

Eric snorted at her explanation, "So basically you are saying I cannot spend money on _you_."

"Eric, if there's something you want to buy me, just ask, okay? I'll tell you if I'm comfortable with it."

"What if I wished it to be a surprise?"

Sookie groaned, "That's right, you _like_ spending money on me."

"I really do," he grinned.

"Okay, how about this? If it's over a grand, you can only get it for me for special events."

"Such as?"

"Birthdays, Christmas, and anniversaries," She paused. "That reminds me, when's your birthday?"

"We did not keep track of such things. The most I can say is I was born in winter."

"Well, that's easy enough. December through February-"

"My Bonded, Sweden has two seasons. Summer and Winter," he teased.

Sookie pouted, "We are giving you a birthday. I want to be able to spoil you like you did me."

"You may choose whatever day you wish," Eric shrugged. "Now that you are my Bonded, I am spoiled every day."

"You are one smooth talker, Northman," Sookie muttered. "Oh, out of curiosity, now that we're Bonded, does that mean we're... Married?"

"For all intents and purposes in my world, yes, we are. Of course, most view it more as 'engaged' I suppose." At Sookie's confused expression, he elaborated, "Many vampires consider the Bond a transitionary stage. It is not until you are turned that they recognize you fully as my mate. Merely untouchable by others."

"That's why I can't use your title as Sheriff?" she checked.

"Correct."

Sookie nodded in understanding before asking, "So, do y'all take each other's names?"

"Not usually. If you were so inclined, I think I would be rather pleased."

"I'll have to look into that," Sookie said thoughtfully to herself, "So, that's quite a list for myself already. Looking in to changing my name, getting used to this Bonded business, moving my apartment into your house..."

"There is also detecting the matter that required this series of events," Eric added. "Although that is mostly my problem to manage."

"You mean why your queen wanted you to kill me?" Sookie asked. When Eric nodded, Sookie raised her eyebrows. "It's obvious, isn't it?"

Eric frowned, "Enlighten me, Dear One."

"Well, aside from ticketing a few moving violations, the only connection my career has had to vampires were the human trafficking bust last year. You said you were going to look into the ring leader. Wouldn't the ring leader want me dead?" Feeling Eric's surprise in the Bond, Sookie remained skeptical. "Okay, I'm gonna guess you had the same thought and are just surprised I made the connection so quickly. I _am_ a detective, you know," she said huffily.

"Yes, well, humans are not particularly astute as to catch on to vampire reasoning," Eric confessed. "Even exceptional investigators such as yourself."

"You came to the same conclusion as me, right?" Sookie asked.

"I did," Eric sighed. "Proving it is an entirely other matter. Michael will be hard-pressed to turn on his Queen, and I cannot stand idly by as my Regent conducts her sphere of influence in such a manner."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I must open a discrete investigation of her and that will not be simple to do given that she is my Queen."

Sookie played with the dusting of his chest hair while she considered all her Bonded was saying. "She's not going to attempt to kill me again, is she?" she asked quietly after a moment.

Eric's hand paused in playing with her hair, and Sookie felt a small flare of panic in him that caused her own body to go rigid. After the brief slip, Eric resumed twisting her locks between his fingers. "It is a possibility, though extremely unlikely. I remain prepared for it, but the thought of her attempting to take action against you would be suicidal. Sophie-Anne is well aware of our laws. She cannot command me against you, and she cannot kill you without a trial."

"Trial?" Sookie asked.

Eric looked at her in surprise, "I have told you that it is unlawful to kill another vampire's Bonded, but there are certain exceptions. If half of a Bonded pair is accused of grievances that call for the Final Death, a trial must be held to determine if the demand is just, and then a secondary trial is held for the innocent half of the couple. If the innocent half is deemed too valuable to give True Death, then the council will find alternative means of punishing the guilty. If the innocent half is not particularly useful or necessary, the pair is put to death."

A shiver ran down Sookie's spine, "So if I screwed up really bad my first few years, I could get us both killed?"

"Were you planning on going on a mass murder spree? Or killing vampires unjustly?"

"I hadn't planned on it," Sookie frowned.

"Then you have very little to worry about, Dear One. Those are the only two crimes you could commit as a vampire that could result in our mutual deaths."

"Oh, well, then I guess we're good," Sookie retorted. For some strange reason, she had figured vampires were more prone to killing one another without justification. She was obviously mistaken. "You guys have laws as severe as humans about the ending of another vampire's life?"

"Yes and no," Eric answered while he contemplated her question for a few moments. "We do not execute our kind without difficulty, but once they are tried and sentenced, action is taken immediately. Our kind is more often killed by humans than vampires. As a matter of fact, _your_ kind is more often killed by humans than vampires."

Sookie's mood turned solemn, "That's sad."

"It is," Eric agreed. "Yet, to look at it from the proper perspective, humans have a much larger population than vampires. Of the entire world population, do you want to guess what percentage of it is vampire?" Eric quizzed.

".005%," Sookie replied. When Eric's eyes widened in disbelief, Sookie shook her head in exasperation. "We had all kinds of training about vampire minorities and blah, blah, blah," she told him.

"I see. Well, your memory is quite excellent," he complimented.

"What are some instances that would result in the True Death if a vampire wasn't Bonded?" Sookie asked.

"Well, treason, for one," Eric answered. "Of course, the severity of the treason will bring less grave repercussions. You see, when I told the Queen I would not kill you, that would have only resulted in a fine. My telling her you were my Bonded was what could have brought on my death."

Sookie stared at him, bewildered, "Then why did you tell her that!? If you could have only gotten fined-"

"She would have found someone else to kill you. Telling her you were Bonded to me was the only way to keep you safe and out of her hands," Eric told her.

"That was so stupid, Eric!" Sookie scolded. "What if I'd refused and run off instead? Then what would you have done?" she demanded.

"I would have fled with Pam," he stated plainly. "Or potentially taken Sophie-Anne's throne. More likely the latter, though I have no ambition to be King."

"Then why do it?" Sookie asked him softly.

"Because I could stay near you and be there when you accept me as yours."

"Sounds like a lot of trouble just for me," Sookie muttered, but Eric could hear her heart accelerate and feel her guilty pleasure at knowing how much she meant to him.

"You are worth all the trouble in the world," he assured, earning another surge of that Guilty Pleasure from her side of the Bond.

"Well, if that's the case," Sookie began coyly, "how about we go back to my place and start packing?"

"My pleasure, Sookie," Eric smiled.

{†}

Over all, the task of packing and moving her belongings from her apartment to Eric's house did not take very long. Renting a trailer and purchasing boxes for the sudden change in residence was the most time-consuming task once Eric warped into vampire speed to swiftly stow her possessions.

Shortly after midnight, Sookie stared in wonderment as her entire apartment was stuffed into the spare bedroom in Eric's house. Thankfully, nearly all of the furniture had come with the apartment, and only the mattress needed a home amongst all of the boxes. Eric quickly cleared space in his closets, dresser, and bathroom for Sookie's necessities. Around one in the morning, Sookie flopped onto Eric's bed with a sigh.

"You did all the work, and I _still_ feel exhausted," Sookie moaned.

Smiling, Eric moved up beside her and nuzzled Sookie's neck. "It was emotionally taxing, and this day has been enough of a strain as it is," he crooned soothingly. "You should sleep, Dear One. You have work in the morning."

Nodding sleepily, Sookie began squirming halfheartedly out of her clothes until Eric helped her wriggle herself free. Naked and exhausted, the young woman fell asleep in her vampire's cool embrace.

Eric remained in bed holding Sookie until he heard his phone beckoning. He did not need to look at the caller I.D. to know who it was calling him.

"Good evening, Master," Eric spoke softly into the phone as he left the bedroom as not to disturb his sleeping mate.

" _You are Bonded!"_ Godric exclaimed over the line. _"I have felt your emotions shifting this direction for some time now, but I did not expect you to actually go through with it! You are barely into your first millennia, Eric. You do not think it is too soon?"_

"No," Eric replied, "it is her, and will always be her."

Godric sighed from hundreds of miles away, but Eric could feel the disappointment as though his Master was in the room with him. _"Eric, you have never been the impulsive type. It is unlike you to make such changes so... Willingly."_

"As you recognized Emily, I recognized Sookie. It cannot be helped that she came into my existence so much earlier than Emily came into yours," Eric argued.

" _I am not envious, Young One,"_ Godric assured. _"I would never begrudge you the search in finding your Mate. I am just concerned that you might have misread the signals and rushed into something you cannot take back. You are so_ _ **young**_ _to feel the compulsion. It is difficult for me to believe this was genuine,"_ Godric admitted.

"You have felt me these past couple months. Do you really believe this was not genuine?" Eric demanded.

" _I did not say that. I said it was difficult to believe, not that I did not believe it,"_ Godric assured. _"Why did you Bond so suddenly? Why did you not wait?"_

"It is not something I can discuss over the phone. I shall bring Sookie to meet you soon, and we will explain everything."

" _I look forward to meeting her. Emily is equally excited,"_ Godric told him. It was easy to hear the adoration that poured from Godric's lips when he spoke his Bonded's name. Eric wondered idly if the same happiness could be heard in his own voice whenever he spoke Sookie's name.

"We look forward to seeing the two of you," Eric replied.

" _Until then,"_ Godric whispered and hung up.

Eric looked at his silent phone for a long moment before heading back to bed. He grabbed his laptop on the way, and curled up against Sookie to begin looking into Sophie-Anne's movements. Though he knew it would be suicidal for his Queen to make another attempt on Sookie's life, Eric was not taking any chances. He needed to shut down her monarchy.

{†}

Sookie awoke to the feel of Eric's kisses fluttering against her back leaving her with a goofy smile on her face. "Best way to wake up," she purred, giving in to a yawning stretch. She turned in his arms and captured his mouth with hers to receive a perfect 'good morning' kiss. "Mornin'," she murmured, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"Good morning," he returned, twisting her own golden strands around his fingertips. "How did you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you."

"I will miss you while you are gone," he whispered.

Sookie rolled her eyes with a giggle, "You'll be dead for the day. I think you'll survive."

"Are you going to your grandmother's after work?" Eric asked.

"Of course," she frowned. "I always do."

"Will you come to Fangtasia when you return to Shreveport? We should publicize our Bonding to my Area."

"Oh," Sookie hesitated. "Is there anything special I need to do... Or wear?" she asked.

Eric laughed and shook his head, "No. It is just customary to present one's Bonded to their subordinates so that they recognize you on sight. They would know that you were Bonded, but not to whom, just as they will know I am Bonded when I go to the club."

"Does Pam know?"

"I have been shielding it from her up until now, but I have a feeling she may suspect. I do not normally block her."

"Will she be mad?" Sookie asked worriedly.

Eric chuckled. "She will most certainly be concerned, but not angry. However, it is not her right to question me. Godric is the only one with that right and he has already spoken his peace."

"Is he angry?" Sookie whispered, her beautiful eyes round with fear and the Bond wept with Dejection.

"Again, concerned," Eric assured her. "My Maker knows me very well, and my actions toward you were construed as more than spontaneous. I am not impulsive by nature. Also, my youth increased Godric's worries."

" _Youth_?" Sookie gasped.

Her Bonded grinned impishly. "I am quite young to Bond."

Sookie frowned, "Well, what does that say about Emily and me? We're even younger than you two, and we committed to an eternity..."

Eric's grin softened to a smile, "That is true, but that is also the prime reason vampires are so old when the compulsion to Bond strikes us. We reach that state of mind, not only because we begin seeking an unbreakable commitment, but also when we are capable of recognizing the one who will be our perfect counterpart. It is not just about being _old,_ Sookie. It is about being aware of our own needs as well as the needs of our potential mate." At Sookie's puzzled expression, Eric elaborated, "When you first asked me to begin a sexual exchange, I told you to make me aware of your needs so that I could meet them. I did not do that because it was my _usual_ way of taking on a sexual partner. I asked that of you because I wanted to be what you needed so that you would stay with me."

"Sounds a bit underhanded," Sookie replied, somewhat ungraciously.

"Perhaps, but I wanted to be those things for you. Not to manipulate you for my lone benefit, but because I wish to make you happy. You have seen a bit of the monster I am, but just as you are not 'Detective Stackhouse' when you are with me, I am not 'Sheriff Northman' when I am with you. You allow yourself to be vulnerable with me, and I allow myself to be kind with you. That does not mean I cannot be kind with others, just as it does not mean you cannot allow yourself to be open around others. We proved that on Saturday night," Eric reminded.

Sookie remembered how at ease she had felt around the top brass and politicians at the fundraiser, and how charismatic Eric had been.

"I guess I never really thought about the different faces we wear... Or how each of those faces can be equally genuine..."

"What do you believe is your true face?" Eric asked.

Thinking a moment, Sookie replied, "I think they're all me, but none are as severe as they seem or I allow." At Eric's curious expression, she continued, "I mean, you've seen the shy, vulnerable me, but I'm not really a shy or vulnerable person. People at work see the hard ass, commanding me, but I'm not really that either. I'm whoever I need to be to get the job done, but when it's just you and me? When I don't need walls or filters... I think I'm stronger. I'm strong enough to let you see me at my weakest. I've never had that before. I wanted to pull away at times because it scared me, but I didn't. I'm too happy, too carefree, when I'm with you. I don't need a face when I'm with you. You see through all of it, so what's the point of wearing one?"

Smiling, Eric leaned in and kissed her deeply before leaning his forehead onto hers saying, "Ditto." Giving her a tight squeeze, and planting another kiss on her nose, Eric murmured, "Now, I should let you get on with your day."

A soft smile drew Sookie's lips outward and she nodded, "I'll see you tonight at Fangtasia. I love you."

"As I love you," Eric responded, a deep melancholy ringing through him as she crawled out of their bed.

Sookie quickly dressed in some sweats and went running with Mags and Junes before coming home to shower and dress for work. When she arrived at the precinct, every Were with whom she worked had explosions of thoughts and opinions.

 _'What did she_ _ **do**_ _!?'_

 _'She Bonded to Northman!?'_

 _'Shit, how much longer do we get to keep her?'_

 _'Sookie, nooo!'_

The last thought was Trent's and she looked at her cadet buddy considerately. "Hey, Ben," she greeted in a more subdued manner than usual.

"Hey, Sook," Trent replied hoarsely, but quickly cleared his throat almost as if he realized he had betrayed his insider information with his tone.

"Do you want to grab lunch with me today? There's some stuff I want to talk to you about," she whispered.

"Sure. Where do you want to go?" he asked quietly, as if they were conspiring against the government.

"Somewhere quiet. It's... Personal."

Trent's face fell, "Okay, I know a place." _'Shit, she's gonna leave. She's taking me to lunch to tell me she's quitting the force.'_

Sookie paused before telling him, "It's not what you think it is."

 _'I doubt that,'_ Trent thought sulkily. "Yeah, all right."

The telepath went through the remainder of her morning at her desk. Homicides were at a low point currently, leaving Sookie doing paper pushing for Robbery and Larceny. Nevertheless, the entire department knew that with warm weather's approach, homicides became more prevalent as tempers rose along with the heat index.

When one o'clock came, Trent walked over to Sookie's desk to go to lunch. His mood was just as grim as it had been earlier. While Trent rode with her instructing her to his favorite lunch hide-away, Sookie began to feel increasingly guilty as she listened to his mournful thoughts.

Sitting in a deserted diner, Sookie squirmed in their corner booth, patiently listening as the waiter went over the specials, and partially dreading the server's departure. As he left to get their drinks, Sookie looked at Trent nervously.

"What is it, Sookie?" Trent finally demanded once their drinks were sitting in front of them and Sookie still had yet to say anything.

"I-I'm going to tell you something that only four people other than myself know," Sookie stammered.

 _'Here it comes,'_ Trent sighed internally.

"I'm not hyper-observant," she faltered. "I'm a telepath." Trent snorted. "Which means I know that you're actually a... Were," she whispered. Trent held his breath. "I know that the captain is too, and several other officers in the precinct. Oh, and your wife," she added. "I try to not listen more than I have to," she began to babble, "but over the years, I've kind of just caught on-"

"Sookie," Trent stopped her, "why are you telling me this?"

"It's how I knew so much of the stuff that seems impossible for me to know. It's why sometimes I answer things strangely, because I hear the unfiltered question. Like that time when you were thinking I smelled like Eric, but said something else. Your words and thoughts were so similar, I responded to the wrong remark."

"But _why_ are you telling me this?" Trent pressed.

"Because I'm Bonded now, and Were Trent knows what that means. I need someone to talk to, and you're the only friend I have," she admitted. "I thought it was only fair that since I know your secret, you should know mine..."

"You have known all this time," Trent glowered.

"Yes, and I've kept your secret as safely as I've kept my own," Sookie assured. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, that I kept it from you when you couldn't guard your own, and I know it isn't fair, but I'm _trying_ -"

"Stop," Trent held up his hand to halt her onslaught of nervous babbling. She could sense him processing this new information, but did not intrude on his thoughts. Waiting apprehensively, Sookie twisted her fingers in front of her. "So, you can hear my every thought?"

Sookie shook her head, "No, I can block to an extent, but my ability has grown stronger over the years. Before, your kind were really difficult for me to hear, but over the years, it's become more clear. As far as I know, vampires are the only silent species to me."

"Is that how you found Marla in that bayou?"

"Yes, and how I saved that stupid rookie from getting shot in the head at Nina's house."

"Wow," Trent placed his head in his hands while he continued to absorb this information.

"Are you mad at me?" Sookie asked.

"You should know," Trent barked a laugh.

Sookie shook her head, "I'm not listening to you right now. I try to give people privacy whenever I can. I found out about your kind during my first few years on the force. I was trying to keep tabs on if anyone suspected what I could do."

Trent shook his head, "No one would have ever suspected this."

Nodding in agreement, Sookie began tentatively, "I need to ask you for a favor."

Straightening his back, Trent met her gaze, "Shoot."

"As you know, I'm Bonded now. Eric warned me that my days as an officer would be numbered if we Bonded, but I don't want to leave the force."

"Then why did you Bond?"

"The Queen of Louisiana ordered Eric to kill me. He Bonded with me to keep me safe," Sookie whispered.

Trent's eyes widened. "Why would Sophie-Anne want you dead?!"

"We think she's connected to a case I worked and she sees me as a fly in the ointment. Don't be surprised if Compton up and leaves this week."

"Why?"

"He was sent up here to seduce and kill me," Sookie shrugged, and Trent balked at her blasé response. "Now that he can't complete his mission, he'll probably return to wherever he came from."

"Vamps don't attack law enforcement," Trent protested.

"Hence the seduction part of the plan, if a vampire was known to be my lover, the Weres wouldn't think twice about that vampire's scent being all over me, even at my death site."

"So, what's your favor?" Trent asked, still trying to reconcile all of this new information.

"I want to stay on the force, but if I'm in too much danger, the Bond will compel me to quit. I need your help pitching an idea to the captain using me to focus on interrogations and less time in the field. You can work that with him Were to Were. I can't. A human wouldn't know the first thing about Bondeds, and it would be impossible for him to interpret from a human viewpoint. I couldn't just agree to it because he'd never be able to explain it to the higher ups. If you two could come to an agreement with the other departments over using me as lead interrogator, given my success record...?"

"What about IA?"

Sookie made a face. "I'd really hate to work for IA. I feel two-faced enough about the anonymous tips I've had to give them over the years... It was all serious stuff though. I didn't out anyone for their relationships or anything," she assured.

"I take it we're leaving your gift out of our interrogation pitch?" Trent guessed.

"If we can. The fewer people who know, the better," Sookie nodded.

"I'll see what I can do," Trent assured her. "You realize IA will be the department that tries to use you the most, right?"

"Then everyone else better keep me busy!"

After that, the pair ate lunch in comfortable conversation, and Sookie felt some of her dread seep away as the day turned to afternoon. When they arrived back at the plaza, Sookie went to her desk and an hour later, she watched Trent enter Captain Kleinman's office.

Around four, the captain called Sookie to his office.

"Stackhouse, take a seat," Kleinman gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "I've been kicking an idea around in my head for a while now, and I wanted to run it by you before speaking to the other department heads."

"Sure, Captain. What is it?"

"Your success rate in interrogation is unmatched, and I believe the entire precinct could benefit from your hyper-observation. We've never been a large enough station to need an interrogation unit, but I think I could convince the Chief to make an exception. You'd still be ranked in Homicide, but you would do the interrogations for any department that requests you," Kleinman eyed her tensely. _'Please let her agree. Trent thinks this is the best way to keep this Bonding fiasco from taking her away from us. We'll keep you safe, Sookie! Don't leave!'_ "What do you think?" he finally asked.

Sookie pretended to consider his offer before answering him with a smile, "I think that would be an interesting way to utilize my abilities, Captain. As long as I can still say you're my boss, I'll do whatever you think is best."

The captain's shoulders relaxed and he nodded more to himself than Sookie's reply. "I'll start working on getting it past the Chief," Kleinman paused a moment before adding, "Why don't you head on out? Get to your Gran's early so you can be home by dusk?" he suggested. _The more she can see her Bonded, the more likely she'll stay on the force..._

Sookie smiled, "Thanks, it would be good to see her in the afternoon again."

Rising from the chair, she shook her boss's hand and left. Swiftly going to her desk to collect her belongings, Sookie waved to Trent and tried to express her gratitude to the Were through her expression. When he smiled at her with a nod, Sookie returned the gesture and left the office.

The drive to Bon Temps was uneventful. Sookie greeted Patty with a small smile and headed to Gran's bedroom. Somehow in the last twenty-four hours, Adele seemed much worse than she had during any of their previous visits. The elderly woman's decline seemed to have accelerated again. Sookie sat in the chair beside her Gran's bed and placed her head on the mattress so that her cheek rested against Adele's shoulder.

"Hello, Dear," Gran whispered with her eyes closed.

"Hi, Gran," Sookie whispered in return.

"What's the good word, Sookie?" Gran asked slowly.

Sookie smirked without realizing she was. "Eric and I kind of...got married last night." She could hear the machines that monitored the older woman's heart accelerate. "At least by his kind's standards."

"Oh, Sookie, I'm so happy for you!" Gran coughed and reached weakly to pat Sookie's hand.

"I am also being put mostly on desk duty from here on out, interrogation mostly."

"That's a relief!" Gran sighed contently. "You didn't do all this for me, did you?"

Sookie shook her head, "No, I did it for me...and for Eric. He officially moved me into his house last night."

"That's a lot of changes, Sookie!" Gran chastised.

"Maybe," Sookie shrugged, "but it's what I want."

Gran's eyes widened marginally at her declaration, "Sookie, I think that's the first time I ever heard you honestly use that statement."

"What are you talking about?" Sookie frowned.

"Well, when you said you wanted to be a police officer, it was obvious that you were doing it out of an obligation to use your gift. When you came home with Mags and Junes, it was obvious you didn't want _two_ dogs, but couldn't leave the last one behind. When you pushed away everyone you knew besides me, you only did it because you'd been hurt and abandoned so much, you were trying to not feel that way again... Oh, darlin' girl, to see you happy, that's all I ever wanted. Now I have..."

"Gran," Sookie eyed her fearfully, "don't let go just yet!"

"Sookie, you don't have any more control over when my time's up than I do," Gran pointed out.

The granddaughter bowed her head, distraught with concern, touching her Gran's withered hands and trying to memorize the feel of sharp reinforcements of bones and tendons as well as the texture of soft, thin skin. They were cold, so unlike the touch Sookie remembered. There was no warmth left in them, no strength, no comfort.

Pulling away, Sookie batted away a traitorous tear. "I wish I could be stronger for you, Gran," Sookie choked out a sob. "You don't deserve the added stress of my sadness-"

"Don't say that, Sookie," Gran soothed. "Soon, I won't have any worries. I'll be with your granddaddy and my children again. There's nothing scary for me, Dear."

Nodding again, Sookie pushed the sweat-dampened hairs from Adele's forehead, "You should rest more, Gran. You talked a lot. I'll be back tomorrow," Sookie assured her, leaning forward to kiss Adele's cheek before rising from her chair.

"I love you, Sookie," Gran murmured.

"I love you too, Gran."

With that parting remark, Sookie left the little farmhouse and wandered absently to her car. The drive home was both the longest and shortest of her life. Long, because there was nothing to distract her from the all-consuming dread that she had just had her final conversation with her grandmother. Short, because she was so trapped with that paralyzing fear of not remembering the drive at all.

A few minutes before she was pulling into the subdivision, she felt Comfort flood her, and Sookie's eyes overflowed with tears. Choking on sobs, Sookie pointed the car into the driveway, parked, and shut off the ignition before dissolving into chest-heaving cries. A sense of Pleading tore through her heart, and Sookie knew that her Bonded wanted her to come to bed where he could hold and comfort her. She sent Longing back to him, but still could not make her body listen. She remained frozen in the driver's seat, uncontrollable sobs shaking her. It was becoming harder to breathe and she could not see through her tears.

STRENGTH. APATHY.

The woman felt her sorrow vanish so suddenly that she hiccupped in the middle of a sob, blinking away tear remnants as she mechanically climbed out of her car as if possessed. Sookie felt as her body was lured, jerkily coming to the bedroom doors and punching in the security code. When the alarm disengaged, Eric's arms swept her into his body and he carried Sookie to bed. Once in his arms Strength and Apathy vanished, and Sookie felt like a boomerang as the dark gloom permeated her mind once again.

Her cries came harder than ever now that she was no longer shielded by his will, like the wearing away of anesthesia on a grievous wound. She howled in his ear, never having known pain as she felt right then, nor experienced the recoil of numbness to such pain.

"I am sorry, my Sookie," Eric apologized as he cradled her against his body. "You were so paralyzed. I did not think-"

"Just ho-hold me," Sookie sobbed, clinging to him unrelentingly.

"Has she passed?" Eric asked quietly.

Sookie shook her head, "I-it's comin'! God, it's coming!" she wailed.

"Oh, Dear One," Eric crooned, squeezing her tightly to himself as they rocked back and forth. "You will get through this."

Violently shaking her head, Sookie protested, "I don't want to get through it. I don't want to be anywhere near it! I want to run away and pretend it isn't happening! I want to-"

"Shh," Eric soothed. "If you ran away, you would never forgive yourself. I will be here, right beside you, Sookie. Scream, fight, cry. I will hold you through it all."

"Eric," she cried, "never leave me!" She clutched at the front of his shirt. "I c-can't bear it anymore! I can't bear being left behind anymore!"

"I cannot leave you, my Bonded, and I would never wish to leave you," He gently kissed her forehead as he continued rocking her back and forth. As the intensity of her sobs began to subside, Eric began leaning her back to lie down. "Rest, my Sookie. Try to close your eyes and rest."

Her turmoil was earth-shattering for the vampire, not only because of the Bond, but the despair it gave him seeing her this way. He wanted to see his Bonded happy, and he knew it would be quite some time before she would recover from such a powerful loss. There was a desire to take her pain away, but he knew when he died for the day the struggle would only return tenfold as it had from the short distance between her car and their bedroom.

"We should stay in this evening," Eric whispered against her ear as she sniffled into his chest. "You are in no condition for taking on Fangtasia."

Shaking her head violently, Sookie wiped away the stream of tears only to have it immediately flood her cheeks once more. "N-no, we gotta make sure other vamps see us Bonded!"

"Sookie," Eric tried to protest, "you are hurting so much-"

"I-I'll be okay," she argued around her sobs, and Eric could feel a building hysteria. "I'll shower, I'll change clothes, I'll run with the girls, I'll get it outta my system, I'll-"

"Shh, shh," Eric squeezed her against his chest. "It is all right, Sookie. Relax. Bonding hysteria is quite common. No one would be surprised if you needed a couple evenings to re-center yourself. There is no hurry." He kissed the crown of her head before smoothing her hair. "You have no reason to worry yourself further about Fangtasia. We will stay in, order you some food, and relax. All right?"

"O-okay," she agreed, new tears spilling from her eyes. "I s-swear, I'm n-not this un-unbalanced!"

Eric chuckled humorlessly. "I know, Dear One. These past few evenings have been a greater strain than you have let on. If I were to lose Godric, I am certain I would be in equal distress."

"She isn't even gone yet, and-and-"

"I know, Sookie," Eric whispered.

"Why can't I be stronger?" she demanded.

"You _are_ strong," Eric assured. "You are a woman who loves deeply, Sookie. That is not weak. Hurting is not weak." His fingers combed through her hair while Sookie sniffled against his chest. After some time had passed, he felt her emotions calming on their own, and he craned his neck to kiss the top of her head. "Feeling better?" he asked gently.

"A bit," she admitted, rubbing her damp cheeks against his chest. "God, I'm sick of all this crying!" she lamented with frustration.

"Would a run help?" Eric asked, immediately feeling a jolt of enthusiasm in the Bond.

"Yes, please," Sookie agreed, moving to crawl off the bed.

Eric smirked as he followed her, putting on an A-shirt and track pants, knowing Sookie found it awkward when he ran in jeans and a button down. His woman put on similar clothes, though instead of ratty sweats, she now had skin tight leggings and a tank top that flattered her toned body and all of its appealing roundness. Rarely could Eric find a woman with athletic arms and legs but also a soft torso and hips. The definition of her abdomen was subtle in comparison to her limbs, making her body all the more seemingly supple and welcoming.

The vampire followed his mate to the living room where she leashed her dogs and took them to the front door. Eric grabbed the house key and put it in his pocket before they locked up and started their journey. He let her lead, mimicking her pace while she warmed up her body to truly begin running. When she was good and heated, Eric hesitated a moment as she took off sprinting before quickly catching up.

Mags was jubilantly keeping stride with her mistress, and Junes was staggering to keep up with the pair. Eric chuckled at the unfortunate beast's lack of speed.

Suddenly, Eric's amusement vanished and he caught Sookie at the waist, urging her to slow down.

"What is it?" Sookie panted as they came to a stop. She could feel Eric's Agitation, and she looked around frantically for an explanation.

"We are being watched," Eric whispered. "Did she think I was lying to her?" he called into the darkness, and Sookie flinched at the distortion of air and sudden appearance of Bill Compton.

"She merely wished for confirmation," Bill explained, looking unsettled at being so near Eric.

"You can confirm for her then," Eric snarled. "I would also appreciate your immediate departure from Area Five. I am not known for obliging informants."

Bill nodded, "I will be returning to New Orleans tomorrow evening."

"Good. Anything else I need to be made aware of before your departure?"

Shaking his head, Bill muttered, "The Queen is displeased at the turn of events."

"I would assume so," Eric growled.

Sookie's head inclined in response to Eric's tone. She did not know what made her feel so meek in the presence of Compton, of all people! Perhaps it was the underlying rage her Bonded was experiencing. Maybe it was her new role in the world of vampires. Whatever the reason, Sookie felt suddenly ill-informed of the events transpiring around her, and her automatic response was to shut up and listen, to draw as little attention to herself as possible.

"She believes that you were not Bonded when you made your claim," Compton told him.

"Sophie-Anne has no reason to believe otherwise. You can see our connection, Compton," Eric snapped. "If the Bond had been forced, you would be able to see that. She is not a blood slave."

Bill shrugged, "You could have scared her into the Bond. Did he tell you that he would be killed if it were known he lied to his Queen?" Bill asked as he sneered at Sookie, and the woman felt Eric's Warning in the Bond. It may have been her years as a telepath, but Sookie was certain that warning meant ' _He wants you to doubt me_ _.'_

Sookie turned her head to Bill Compton and sneered right back. "Our Bond is one of love. Eric did not manipulate me into Bonding with him, and he did not lie to his Queen," she stated firmly. "Each one of our exchanges were happy accidents."

Bill snorted, "The Viking does not have 'accidents'."

Sookie smirked at Bill's disgusted tone, "You've never been overcome in the heat of the moment, Compton? What unimpressive lays you must have. I would guess the disappointment is mutual?"

Eric roared with laughter at her comment, making Bill scowl with anger, "I will be certain to inform our Queen that the Bond is genuine."

"You do that, Billy," Eric was still laughing softly. "Now, if you will excuse us, we would like to continue our run." Grumbling, the younger vampire sped off into the darkness and Sookie looked to her Bonded uneasily. "You think I manipulated the circumstances of our Bond?" Eric asked of her concern.

Shaking her head, Sookie assured him, "No, I don't think that..."

"Why are you nervous then?" Eric asked.

Playing with the loop of her dogs' leads, Sookie admitted, "I just realized how... Subject I am to vampire rules now, and... It unsettles me."

"Why does it unsettle you?" he encouraged her to share her concerns with him.

"Because I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know the rules, not really..."

"But I do," Eric reminded. "I will always lead you down the safest path of our world."

Sookie shook her head in frustration. "I don't like not knowing the rules, Eric. I am a woman who upholds the law," An ironic grin flit across her lips. "The wife of the Sheriff can't be seen disregarding the law, right?"

"The shoe is on the other foot now, is it not?" Eric teased right back.

"I suppose so. Y'all don't have a training guide, do you? Or a few text books on vampire law?"

Eric chuckled, shaking his head, "No, my Bonded. It is up to the Maker, or in our case Bonded, to teach their Child or Mate the laws."

With a playfully frustrated sigh, Sookie took Eric's hand, "I think the girls and I are ready to head back to the house now."

"So soon?" Eric was surprised. They had only run for a little over a half hour.

Sookie nodded, "Yup. I'm gonna order a pizza, we're gonna pop in a crappy old movie, and we're gonna talk _all_ about vampire laws."

"It is a date," Eric agreed.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**

 **-ANDI**


	18. Chapter 17

Never End

 _A/N: Coming early on Sunday because of work! I hope you all had a fun and safe New Year's Eve/Day! Thanks as always to **MsBuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Seventeen: Cold**

"Are you all right, Stackhouse?" Captain Kleinman asked gently. "You look tense…"

Sookie's eyes looked up from her desk phone to the warm brown irises of her boss. "Y-yeah… Everything's fine," she replied.

"Expecting a call?" he asked, somewhat confused.

"Dreading," she admitted.

Kleinman's eyes widened marginally just as he blanched in realization. "Oh, I see," He reached out and patted Sookie's arm. "Just let me know if you have to leave on short notice."

"Yes, Captain."

Nodding, Kleinman walked over to Trent's desk and leaned against the edge. "How's she holding up, Ben?" he asked quietly, unaware that Sookie could hear his conversation with the officer even with the distance.

Trent's eyes swept over to Sookie and he frowned, "Worse, I'd say. It's hard to tell if it's the Bond or all the other shit going on with her. It's been nearly a week since her and Northman Bonded, and she just gets more and more withdrawn by the day."

"Almost like the pre-Northman days," Kleinman agreed in disappointment.

Trent nodded. "I don't think the interrogation pitch will let us keep her," Trent admitted sadly.

"I'm afraid you're right…"

 _Do not cry, Sookie. Do_ _ **NOT**_ _cry, Sookie!_ The telepath prompted herself miserably while she listened to Trent and Kleinman's conversation. Her heart was pounding furiously, her throat was dry and tight, and her gut was twisting with the effort to hold back her tears.

On top of the dread she was feeling over her grandmother's fading health, a critical sense of foreboding had begun to envelope her over the past two days while she was at the station. At first, Sookie had feared the discomfort was a product of the Bond and that she was being compelled to quit due to her connection with Eric. However, early that morning, a new piece of evidence had given Sookie a much more disconcerting reason to be in fear of her life.

 _Not too close to dusk. Not too close to dusk…._

A shiver ran down Sookie's spine at the memory. It had been the briefest glimpse into a mind she did not recognize. Of course, the mind's mantra had not been noticeably directed toward her, but the implication behind the words was enough to raise the hair on the back of the telepath's neck.

Almost like a premonition, the thought had evoked a chill in her bones. Someone wanted to hurt her, most likely kill her, and they did not want Eric to be able to treat her injuries.

 _Today, it has to be today!_ thought the agitated mind.

Sookie jerked away from her desk and made a start to look for the body connected to the thoughts. The members of the homicide division looked up at her sudden movement, and Sookie stood frozen, a half-step away from her desk. She stared at the door as her co-workers trained their eyes intently on her.

It would not be wise to find the person whose thoughts sent icicles into her stomach. If the danger was genuinely directed toward her, she would be much better off putting an ocean between her and that person.

What worried Sookie was the fluidity of the thoughts. The voice seemed to weave in and out of her perception. It was a rather bizarre circumstance for the telepath, and the frustration it caused was almost as unbearable as the gnawing fear.

The only comfort that Sookie could take in the situation was the lack of familiarity with the voice or mind. The internal musings of every officer on the force were particularly recognizable to her, and she knew now that whomever it was that had bad intentions toward her was a stranger. It would be easy enough to discern through the Visitor Sign-in Log which unfamiliar person had been wandering the Shreveport P.D. hallways over the past several hours.

Just as Sookie was convincing herself not to make the worst decision of her life, her desk phone began ringing. Her eyes quickly glanced at the shrilling phone and her hand reached for the receiver automatically.

"Detective Stackhouse," Sookie spoke huskily into the phone.

"Miss Stackhouse, this is Patty Garza," the crooning, comforting voice of her Gran's nurse came through the phone.

"Yes, Ms. Garza," Sookie answered, her hand clutching the phone so tightly her arm began to tremble.

"I'm sorry to tell you that Adele did not wake up this morning, Miss Stackhouse," Patty told her solemnly.

"I… See…" Sookie swallowed hard and took a long, shaky breath. "Umm… What do I do? D-do you need me to… to… Umm… To come out there? I-I can-"

"Shh, Dear. Don't worry. Mr. Spencer is on his way and he'll take care of Adele for now-"

"B-but," Sookie choked back a sob, cupping her hand over the receiver and turning her back to her coworkers who were trying to look anywhere else but at the young woman receiving the terrible news, "But I want to kiss her goodbye…" she whispered with an all-consuming regret into the phone. "She can't leave the house without someone kissing her goodbye!" She could no longer repress the sob as this time the sorrow overtook her.

"Sookie!" Patty's voice became moderately firm. "Take a breath. It will be okay-"

"No," Sookie moaned. "No, it won't! Did Jason even come to see her!?" she demanded. "Did she even get to see him one last time!?"

"Okay, Stackhouse," Trent was behind her clutching her arm, and taking the phone out of her death grip. "Thanks, Patty. She'll call you back." He hung up the phone and started leading her out of the office.

"I'm sorry you're seeing me this way," Sookie murmured.

"You look much more composed than you might think," Trent joked lightly. "Hey, I'll take you home, okay? You look like you need to lay down, and there's nothing you can do for your Gran right now, okay? So let's just get you back to your house, and you can curl up until dusk-"

 _do it. Do it. DO IT!_ _ **DO IT!**_

Sookie's eyes widened at the sudden, close proximity of the 'Stranger Voice', and as she experienced that freezing block in her stomach, a deafening crack sounded behind her.

' _Oh my God, what did I do!? Why did I do that!? What am I doing!?'_

Sookie looked down at the flash of color that had drawn her attention. ' _Is this my blood?'_ she wondered in disbelief. The glacial pit in her belly now felt as if a blinding hot poker had seared its way through the wintery gloom. Her hands reached up while her gaze strayed further down only to see the blossoming floret of blood beneath the area where her fists were clutched. ' _Have I been shot?'_

As the shock slowly began to wear off and the pain began to make itself known, Sookie turned her head to see who had fired on her.

Chlebowski.

"You stupid, fucking rookie!" Sookie snarled just as her legs weakened and she crumbled to the floor. Chlebowski had already dropped his firearm, his hands were above his head, and on his face was an expression so stunned and disbelieving that Sookie was almost convinced into believing someone else had fired the gun and then stuck it in the younger man's confused hands.

' _What did I do!? Why did I do that!?'_

That was not the 'voice' of the bone-chilling thoughts from earlier...

Trent was roaring, issuing orders all around. Several other officers appeared and were dragging Chlebowski away. Sookie just lay there in a pool of her own blood, watching as a third party observer.

Ω

"Why aren't any of you worried about me?" Sookie whispered. "There's a lot of blood here, you know!" she screamed at them. "Don't you even care that I could be dying!? Has anyone even CALLED AN AMBULANCE!?" she demanded.

"Sookie, Dear."

Sookie's shoulders stiffened and she turned her head to look at her Gran standing over her, looking spry and jubilant.

"Oh, no," Sookie moaned. "I died!?" she began crying. "No! Eric!"

"Shh, Dear," Gran cooed, sitting on the floor next to Sookie, not getting a drop of blood on her. "This is the in-between. I spent a good deal of time here over the past week or so."

"I'm dying," Sookie wept.

"Yes, Dear, you are," Gran patted her back sympathetically.

"But I finally fell in love," she whimpered. "I barely got to be happy, and…and…"

"Life's not fair, Sookie," Gran reminded her. "You had some happiness though."

"Why aren't you telling me to fight!?" Sookie demanded of her grandmother.

Gran smiled, "You always do. Why should I have to tell you?"

Ω

"SOOKIE!" Slowly the telepath's eyes opened into tiny slits. "Stay with me, Sook!" Trent's voice bellowed, yet it sounded as though it was underwater. "Ambulance is comin', just hold on!"

"Bbottom ddraw," she slurred woozily.

"Shh, save your strength," Trent's hand squeezed hers.

"Bottom. Drawer," Sookie forced her mouth to articulate. "Get. It."

"You can hang on, Sook. You can do it. No one's stronger than you. Just hang in there. Ambulance will be here any second-"

"Eric's blood," she hissed, feeling more pain while she tried to hang onto consciousness. Her muscles flexed, instinctively trying to pull away from the injury, but were incapable of escaping.

"You have some of Eric's blood here?" Trent asked in a hushed voice.

"Bottom. Drawer," she repeated.

Trent leapt to his feet, leaving bloody footprints all the way back to the Homicide Division. By the time he reached Sookie's desk his feet were sticking to the floor, and he wrenched open the bottom drawer of her desk to find a small insulated lunch bag. Unzipping it, he found a pint of blood nestled in a pocket of cool air.

"You glorious bastard!" Trent cheered at Eric's grim pragmatism as he lunged to his feet and ran back down the hall. "OUT OF THE WAY!" he screamed, shoving a lieutenant kneeling next to her to get to Sookie. Captain Kleinman was kneeling at her other side, and Trent fell to his knees, swiftly yanking open the container to hold to Sookie's lips. "Drink up, Sooks!" he commanded, tilting Sookie's head back and trickling the blood into her mouth.

"He sends her to work with a pint of his blood?" Kleinman gasped in surprise.

"Gotta admit, that guy doesn't leave much to chance," Trent agreed. "Damn it, Sookie! Drink it!" the deputy roared.

"She's out again," Kleinman fretted.

"SOOKIE!"

Ω

"Sookie, did you miss me again already?" Gran teased.

Sookie's eyes opened slowly and she found herself lying in Gran's bed with Adele sitting in the chair where she herself had sat so many afternoons over the past several weeks. "How'd we get here?" Sookie asked warily.

"This is where you wished to be, isn't it?" Gran guessed.

Sookie frowned, "I wanted to be able to say goodbye to you." A series of coughs erupted from her mouth and Gran dutifully filled a glass of water, offering it to her granddaughter. "I'm fine."

Adele clucked her tongue in disapproval, "So stubborn."

"Always," Sookie agreed.

Glancing slowly at the bedroom door, Adele admitted, "Well, I suppose, if this ends up being the last time I see you, there is something I should tell you that I learned in the in-between."

Frowning at her Gran's cryptic statement, Sookie asked, "What is it, Gran?"

Adele licked her lips, fidgeting with her hands slightly, "I want you to know something very important. You shouldn't tell Jason; he would never believe it." When Sookie nodded in agreement, Adele continued, "Your granddaddy was half-fairy." Sookie's eyes widened a bit before she choked out a disbelieving laugh. "It's true, Sookie," Gran told her sternly, sobering Sookie's tittering. "Earl knew something was happening to other part-fairies. His fairy godmother was trying to get him to go away with her. He said that you weren't safe because you were special like he was, that the fairy godmother might try to take you away, too. That day your granddaddy fell into the quarry? I never believed he fell. Now I believe he was pushed or maybe he was running for his life and didn't see the ground end. He doesn't know…" Adele stared at her hands guiltily. "I'm telling you this so that you can be aware that there are beautiful creatures who may try to take you away."

Sookie nodded gravely, uncertain whether or not to believe her grandmother's tale. Could this be a dying delusion that Sookie was suffering? At the very least, she would mention these things to Eric and see what he had to say. "Do you know the fairy godmother's name?" Sookie asked in a whisper.

"Claudine. Claudine Crane."

"But she won't come after Jason?" Sookie asked to be sure.

"No. He does not have the spark of the fairies," Gran assured her before clapping her hands and asking, "So, when are you going to say goodbye?"

"Do I get to?" Sookie asked sadly.

"Do you want to?" Gran pressed.

"No," she admitted.

"What about Eric?"

Sookie felt a tear stream down her cheek and mechanically brushed it away, "I don't want to hurt him."

"Then say goodbye to me and drink your water," Gran insisted.

Sookie stared at the glass, pouting. "Why do I keep having to say goodbye to the ones I love?" she sniffled.

"Because the world is full of meetings and partings, Dear," Gran consoled.

"If I survive this, I'll never see you again. I'll become a vampire at some point and I'll never die. I'll never see you in heaven…" Sookie whispered.

"But you love Eric, right? You'll never have to say goodbye to him," Gran pointed out.

"I know."

"Isn't he enough for you to be able to say goodbye to me?"

"Yes," Sookie said without hesitation and reached for the glass. Leaning forward, she kissed Gran's cheek and murmured, "I love you, Gran. Goodbye."

"I love you, Sookie. Goodbye, and finally be happy!" Gran returned the kiss, Sookie pulled away, and drew the glass to her lips.

Å

"She's drinking!" Trent cheered. Sookie could hear a collective breath release around her, and then heard the minds of her colleagues letting out relieved sighs. "Whoa, Tiger! Slow down, don't choke!" Trent gave a watery laugh as Sookie chugged the remaining pint.

"Make room!" a new voice yelled, and Sookie felt hands all over her while her body left the floor. She panicked and began thrashing against her defiance of gravity.

"NO!" she cried, struggling for the ground. "No! I said goodbye!"

"Sookie!" Kleinman cried at her wriggling body.

"I said goodbye!" Sookie yelled. "I don't want to die!"

"They're just putting you on a stretcher," Trent tried to sooth her. "You're not dying. They're taking you to the hospital."

Relaxing somewhat, Sookie eyed the frightened EMT and tried her best not to scare him further with her large, terrified eyes. Instead, she sought out Trent's face and asked, "Did I drink the whole thing?"

"Every last drop," Trent assured, keeping up with the stretcher as they wheeled her toward the doors. "You're gonna be fine, Sooks," he patted her hand.

"Go with her to the hospital. Keep us updated," Kleinman called from down the corridor.

"Yes, Captain!" Trent yelled back before returning his attention to Sookie. "You really scared us there, Sook."

"Sorry," she replied, wiggling slightly against the sensation of her wound healing. Her lower left quadrant felt strangely missing through her awareness. "Is it healing?" she asked. "It feels numb."

Trent's hand palpated the wound, much to the EMT's annoyance. "Yeah, it's not bleeding anymore."

' _What?'_ The EMT thought, astounded.

"Vampire blood," Sookie answered softly in response to the medical personnel's unasked question.

Once she was loaded into the back of the ambulance, Sookie gestured for her coworker to come in close. "What is it, Sookie?" he asked, leaning in.

"Chlebowski was glamoured," she hissed into his ear.

Trent's eyes widened in surprise, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she whispered. "He was hearing a command all day. I could hear it in his mind. It confused me at first, but when he shot me, everything made sense. The voice I was hearing was the vampire who glamoured the command for him to shoot me."

Trent licked his dry lips, "Who could've done it? It's really hard to glamour a command like that, or so I've been told."

"I think it was the Queen," Sookie replied softly. "She's the only vampire who has it in for me, but I can't imagine why she would risk so much! It's a huge vamp no-no to kill a vampire's Bonded."

"It's a huge Supe no-no," Trent assured.

Nodding, Sookie leaned back and rested her head while the EMT continued checking her wound.

' _Can't believe it. It's almost completely sealed!'_ The EMT thought in alarm. _'Damn, vampire blood does a body good… I heard vamps can track humans who drink their blood though. Trade-off might be worth it-'_

Sookie groaned.

"Does that hurt?" the EMT asked, reducing the pressure he was applying to the healing flesh.

"No," Sookie griped, "It's still pretty tingly. I've never had my abdomen fall asleep, but that's what it feels like, itchy, tingly, and kind of numb."

Nodding at her explanation, he went back to checking her vitals.

The trip to the hospital had Sookie a nervous wreck by the time they arrived. She was trying to think of a way to save Chlebowski's life, and the only way she could do that was to reveal her telepathic ability.

When she was packed away in an exam room, Sookie looked to Trent with concern. "I don't know what to do, Ben," she admitted.

"About?" he asked, brow furrowed while he tried to discern what she was talking about.

"How am I going to save that stupid rookie without revealing my ability?" she explained.

Trent sighed, collapsing in the chair near her bed. "I don't know, Sookie," he finally answered.

Fisting her hands against her forehead, Sookie leaned over herself and tried to think of something she could use to defend Chlebowski.

"I wasn't paying attention in the hallway earlier… How many people were there with us?" Sookie asked.

"A couple."

"How many were Weres?" she asked.

"The Lieutenant. There was another patrol officer, and then you, me, and Chlebowski."

Nibbling her bottom lip, Sookie continued, "You think the patrol officer saw exactly what happened?"

Trent shrugged, "I wouldn't know what he saw. You'd have a better time determining that than I would."

"Call the Captain, ask him to pull the Lieutenant and the patrol officer, and to not to let anyone speak to Chlebowski," she directed.

"What are you-"

"Just do it. I'll explain later. I need to think all this through," she answered him sharply.

Nodding, Trent reached for his phone and dialed the Captain, relaying Sookie's order. When he was done, the Were looked to his friend expectantly.

"I'll have to inform the Captain and Lieutenant of my telepathy. We'll need to convince the other patrol officer that it was a weapon malfunction and my own bad luck. Worst case scenario, we'll glamour him. We'll see if Eric can do anything with Chlebowski. Maybe Sophie-Anne left some breadcrumbs in his memory that I might be able to link back to her, and then Eric can take her before the Council."

"Shit, you're good at this," Trent shook his head in disbelief.

"I've had a long time to hide who and what I am, Ben. Now I'm just gonna need a little more help," she chuckled darkly.

Before the conversation could continue, the doctor entered the room and both officers' mouths snapped shut.

"I heard we have a celebrity in here," the doctor joked. "Detective Stackhouse, I am Dr. Ragnard. I heard you were shot today and that you ingested vampire blood to heal?" he asked.

Sookie nodded, "Yes, my boyfriend is a vampire… He sends me to work with his blood in case of emergencies like this," she explained.

The doctor blanched, but still shrugged with the realization of how much sense it proved to make, "I see. Well, vampire blood is still being tested and has yet to be approved by the FDA. Technically, it is catalogued as a controlled substance."

Sookie snorted. "Believe me, they don't hand out their blood lightly. Seeing as I've not been given my Miranda rights, I could just as easily claim that I never took any. Vampire blood isn't a substance that can be found through any type of screening," she pointed out.

"I suppose that's true," Dr. Ragnard agreed. "Well, let's see if there's any other damage. I'm also going to order an ultra-sound to make sure there's no internal bleeding, and then you're going to Radiology so we can be assured there were no bones broken."

"Yes, Sir," Sookie nodded.

Once all procedures were completed, Sookie accepted a green scrub shirt to replace her destroyed blouse. She threw the ruined garment into the trash and followed Trent out of the Emergency Room where a patrol car waited to return them to the precinct.

"You doing okay, Stackhouse?" Patrol Officer Petersen asked from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, healthy as a horse," Sookie replied unenthusiastically, leaning her head against the seat while Trent got in the back with her.

"Good thing you had that blood. Does Northman always send you to work with it?" he laughed.

"Yup. He knows how much this job means to me, and I knew that accepting it would help to put him at ease," she sighed.

"I've never seen V used for anything other than getting high," Petersen admitted. "Wish we had some of that stuff out on patrol."

Sookie grimaced, "Vamps are really reluctant when it comes to sharing their blood. Ingesting it also allows him to track me."

"Oh," Petersen grimaced. "Not sure I want it that bad then…"

Sookie chuckled to herself, still sitting with her head leaned against the back of the seat. With a tired sigh, she closed her eyes and let the slight swaying of the vehicle lull her into a short catnap.

"Stackhouse?" Sookie jerked, awakening violently. "Whoa, Tiger!" Trent laughed nervously as Sookie gave a sudden lurch. "You OK?"

Rubbing her eyes, Sookie glanced out the window to see that they were in the station's parking area. "Wow," she mumbled, "it didn't even feel like I fell asleep."

"Yeah, V will do that to you," Trent said.

As the pair climbed out of the car, Sookie asked, "Have you ever taken it?"

"Nah, but our Packmaster has. He got to know a vampire real well, and the vamp gave him some blood during one of the wars so he could keep fighting."

"Which war?"

"Yup," Trent laughed. At her questioning look, he told her, "A war against a witch coven. Amazing, isn't it? The most human of all the Supes and they cause us some of the most grief."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, and it's cause they pop up all over the place. Weres, shifters, vamps… We all have long memories, either from longevity or lineage. Witches don't have that. They learn through word of mouth, or just fumbling around with their magic. Lots of room for corruption or accidents. Sometimes a coven gets corrupted and tries to exercise control over other Supernaturals. Annoying little shits-"

"Wow, they must cause a lot of trouble," Sookie could hear his frustrated musings.

"They can, but vamps and Weres usually band together to put them back in their place."

Sookie snorted, "I didn't realize you guys knew how to cooperate."

Trent laughed as well, "We've all kept each other's secrets long enough to learn cooperation."

"I see," Sookie thought about what Gran had told her during her brush with death. "Trent… Do you know if fairies exist?"

Frowning, the Were looked at his friend in surprise, "They used to… Well, they still kind of do… It's a sore subject. They used to be the most powerful Supernaturals, and then the segregation between Fae and humans began. After a while Fairies became so inbred that their arcane magic became corrupted and weakened. Now part-fairies have more viable magic than full fairies do…" Trent eyed Sookie suspiciously. "Why?"

Nearly freezing up in shock, Sookie whispered, "I'm part-fairy… Or at least that's what my Gran told me…"

"Before she died?"

"No, while I was dying this morning," Sookie admitted.

Trent stopped midstep in the hallway, looking at Sookie in utter astonishment. "You talked to your dead Gran this morning?"

Sookie nodded, "I know, it's crazy. It-"

"No, it's not crazy, it's terrifying!" Trent cried in alarm. "None of us realized you were that… That close to dead!" His eyes were wide with panic that he was trying to subdue while reminding himself that Sookie was perfectly safe now.

"Everything's fine, Ben. You got me Eric's blood. I'm fine," she cooed soothingly.

Nodding distractedly, Trent put his arm on Sookie's shoulder and walked the remaining way to their department. Several officers nodded at the blonde as she passed and she gave them a tight smile in return.

When the pair arrived at Captain Kleinman's office, Sookie took a deep breath before opening the door. Lieutenant Greggs was there as well as the patrol officer who had been present during the shooting and they were seated across from their captain.

"Stackhouse!" Emmett Kleinman rose from his desk and came around to hug her tightly, much to her surprise and embarrassment. "Thank God you carry Northman's blood! You lost so much-"

"I'm fine," Sookie assured him, trying to discretely pull out of his embrace. "Officer Jennings," she turned to the younger man, "I was wondering if you saw what happened in the hallway?"

"I was talking to the Lieutenant," he admitted sheepishly. "I wasn't facing you guys when the shot was fired."

Sookie nodded, seeing in his mind that he was, indeed, oblivious to the goings-on in the corridor. "Chlebowski was stupidly checking his firearm in the hall. He had a misfire," Sookie told him.

Lieutenant Greggs looked at Sookie in disbelief, ready to protest, but at one look from her, he closed his mouth.

"Idiot," Jennings grumbled.

Sookie nodded in agreement. There was no way for her to take all the blame off of Chlebowski. There was just no possible way for her to have been hit without his gun being unholstered.

"I just thought… you know… Given that it was so traumatic, you should know what happened," Sookie told Jennings.

"I appreciate that. I was surprised to be called down to Homicide," Jennings laughed. "Glad to see you're OK, Stackhouse."

"Thanks," she smiled when the officer rose and left the office.

Greggs wasted no time, "That was NOT an accident! I distinctly saw him point his gun at you, Stackhouse!"

"You're right, he did," Sookie nodded.

"Then why-" Kleinman began.

"He was glamoured to shoot me," Sookie told them. At their stunned looks, Sookie began slowly, "There is something you should know about me, and the reason why you two are in this room and Jennings isn't included…" The young woman took a deep breath and felt Trent's hand squeeze her shoulder reassuringly, "The reason you two are here is because you're Weres, and I trust you to keep what I am about to say in the strictest confidence." Both Kleinman and Greggs looked at her with alarm and apprehension. "I don't mind the Were community knowing my secret anymore. Trent knows, and he's been respectful and admirably silent about it." The older men stared at Sookie expectantly and she took another deep breath before she finally admitted, "I am not hyper-observant. I'm a telepath."

The Lieutenant and Captain looked at one another in shock, and then looked back to Sookie. She could hear in their minds that they were both taken aback by her confession and had no idea on how to proceed or what to ask without sounding disbelieving.

"I also have it on good authority that I am part-fairy. Not much, but apparently there's a little fairy blood in my veins."

Greggs sat back heavily in his seat and Kleinman clutched his desk for additional support. "Why are you telling us this?"

"It's the only way I know to explain Chlebowski's actions," Sookie answered him. "He doesn't deserve to have his life ruined because some vampire queen has it in for me."

"Sophie-Anne?" Kleinman asked in surprise. "Why would she want you dead?"

"It's related to a case I worked."

Kleinman frowned, and then asked, "The Grosse case?"

Sookie flinched at his immediate bullseye. Trent had not yet made the connection. "Yes," she whispered.

"Was she the actual ringleader?"

"Eric believes so, especially now. That was one of our reasons for completing our Bond so quickly. Sophie-Anne commanded him to kill me. He told her we were Bonded to keep me safe, and then we Bonded shortly after the call."

Kleinman felt his way back to his chair, collapsing into it, "You Bonded to Northman for your safety!?"

Sookie shook her head, "I Bonded to Eric because I love him and I want to be with him for the rest of forever. We Bonded when we did for my safety, but it was always my intent to accept. The only reason I planned to wait was because I didn't want to risk my career."

The two newly-informed Weres nodded in understanding, "So, where do we go from here?" Greggs finally asked.

"We need to keep IA away from Chlebowski until after dusk. Then we'll need to get Eric in here so he can see if there's any remaining evidence to link the glamouring to Sophie-Anne. I didn't want too many Weres knowing of any vampire involvement because we can't risk a war when we have a single suspect within our sights." The three men nodded agreeably. "I don't know what Eric might need from Chlebowski, but whatever it is, we need to give it to him so he can clean up this mess neatly and with as little backlash between the two communities as possible."

Kleinman thought for a moment, "Darsen from IA is a Were. I'll talk to him and get him to lead the case. Do I have your permission to bring him up to speed on what's happening? Including about the information regarding your gift?" Sookie's body went rigid, however, she nodded her consent. "I'll get on that right now. You… Trent, take Stackhouse home. Stackhouse, you go home, get some rest, and come back with Northman as soon as you can. I'll stay here with Greggs and Darsen until you return, and then we'll sort out this whole mess."

Sookie nodded, "Yes, Sir."

"C'mon, Sook," Trent placed his hand on her side and pushed her toward the door. "Let's get you home."

"Thanks, Ben," Sookie replied with sincerity while she let her friend lead her out of the station once more.

The drive to the house she shared with Eric was a quick one. Sookie fell asleep shortly after getting into Trent's car, and it was not until he was shaking her that Sookie realized she had fallen asleep again.

"Can't seem to keep my eyes open," Sookie muttered while she climbed out of his car.

"You gonna be okay?" Trent asked worriedly.

"Yeah… It's just the wound was bad enough that Eric's blood could only heal it. That doesn't help the blood loss much. I'm feeling a couple pints low," she laughed teasingly.

Trent grimaced, but nodded while he watched Sookie go into the house.

Tired and maybe a bit more than apprehensive about having to explain all that had happened throughout the day to Eric, Sookie trudged her way to his dark room and peeled off her borrowed scrub top. She threw it into the hamper and then quickly tugged off her boots before stripping out her remaining clothing. She was surprised at just how much blood she had all over herself, but then decided not to think too much about it, rather, she went straight to the shower and began rinsing away the remaining blood, all the while wishing she could wash the memories away as well.

When she climbed out of the shower, she looked over her body in the fogged-up mirror while she wiped the condensation in order to get a more enhanced view of her healing injury. The shiny, pink pucker of healing tissue glared in opposition against her tan skin and she touched the wound tentatively. It did not hurt, but felt strangely absent of sensation. A peculiar need to scratch at the new, weak skin until she could feel it flashed through Sookie's mind, but she ignored it and went to lay in bed beside her unaware boyfriend.

Eric's body was cool and solid, and Sookie felt safe pressed against him despite the fact that there was little he could do to help her at the moment. She glanced at the clock, determining how much longer she needed to wait until she saw his beautiful eyes, allowing her to vanish into the fragility that only she let him witness. She wanted to cry, to feel dependent, but she could not nor would not until he was there to protect her in her vulnerable state.

She could hear Mags and Junes whining through the two doors and she wanted to go to them to let their warm, furry bodies absorb some of her pain. Still, she could not move away from the bed. She could not leave Eric's side. Her body was slowly refusing to acknowledge her orders, and her limbs felt as if they no longer belonged to her.

"Sookie," a worried voice murmured against her ear.

"Uh," she responded while her eyes slowly opened.

"What _happened_?" Eric's voice did not betray his Panic in the same way as the Bond did.

"Gran died," Sookie sobbed.

"Why do I smell your blood almost like it is a perfume in here?" he demanded, and then she felt his hand reach between her thighs as if he was trying to determine whether she had started her period. She knew he only did this out of blind Denial. He did not want to believe that she had been critically injured.

"I was shot today," Sookie answered almost inaudibly.

Eric snarled and he turned her onto her back to examine her body. She knew the instant he found her healing wound when he let out a pained growl and the Bond flared with Rage.

"Who will I be murdering this evening!?" Eric roared, crushing Sookie's body to his own.

"Probably Sophie-Anne," Sookie admitted.

"What?" Eric's Rage turned to Confusion.

"Someone glamoured another officer into shooting me," Sookie told him. "I'll need you to come to the station with me at true dark so we can see if there's any additional evidence that may lead back to the Queen."

Eric's hand began petting her hair anxiously while he processed this information. Tentatively, Sookie began tracing soft symbols on his chest, sending him Comfort in the Bond as her lover absorbed all of the news. After a few moments when her comforting had scarcely thawed his darkness, Sookie took his hand in hers, slowly moving it to caress her breast. Surprised at her action given that he had felt no building lust or desire in her before this, Eric looked at Sookie, slightly confused.

"I'm still here, Darlin'. I'm safe cause of you," Sookie whispered as she pulled him carefully over her body and snuggled beneath his frame. "Come here," she spoke softly as she took his phallus into her hand, stroking him calmly and steadily. "Make love to me, Eric. Reassure yourself that I'm here and I'm fine," she encouraged as her legs parted.

Without a word, Eric crushed his mouth to Sookie's, tangling his tongue with hers while his hips rocked against her hand. It was as his lips were on hers that he realized just how cold her skin felt although she was sweating. He listened intently to her pulse, noting its speed and weakness.

"Sookie," Eric pulled away in alarm, removing her hand from his body to examine her nails that were turning blue at the nail beds. "Sookie!"

"Hmm?" she cooed to him.

"How much blood did you lose?!" he quickly laid her flat on her back and began situating the pillows until her legs were propped up.

Chuckling at his concern, Sookie assured him, "Maybe a pint or two… I went to the hospital, Eric. I'm fine," she reached out her hand for him, but frowned when the limb took far too much time to respond.

Eric felt her Unease and grabbed his phone. Pressing a number he had set into his speed dial after meeting Sookie, Eric only needed to wait halfway through a second ring.

"Ludwig," came the annoyed voice who answered the phone.

"Doctor, I need you to appear! My Bonded is dying!"

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	19. Chapter 18

Never End

 _A/N: I know we're all impatient to begin, so let me just give my usual appreciation to **MsBuffy** for the top-notch editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Eighteen: Terrible Timing**

"Why you couldn't just turn her?" Ludwig grumbled as she adjusted the IV next to Eric's bed. "How much blood did you take anyway?" She asked in an accusatory manner.

"None!" Eric snapped. "She was shot this afternoon. I send her to work with my blood in case of accidents, but it does nothing for exsanguination!"

Ludwig eyed the vampire, her lids in tiny slits as if silently demanding to know if he believed she was unaware of that fact.

"Shot, you say?" Ludwig asked instead of continuing to glare. "What does your Bonded do for a living?"

"She is a police detective with the Shreveport P.D.," Eric explained grimly.

Ludwig's eyebrows rose, "Just how long have you been Bonded?"

"Nearly a week now," Eric answered her.

Looking between the vampire and the human in question, Ludwig asked, "Yet she hasn't quit her job? _You_ haven't made her quit?"

"She wishes to remain on the force…" Eric looked over to his Bonded and the pain-filled ache in his chest intensified. "She is trying to bring down her danger levels, and it was all going well until today…"

Ludwig scoffed, "Is everything seemingly fine with your Bond? You can send to each other properly? You can influence each other? There's a _desire_ to be with one another?" She demanded.

"Yes," Eric assured. "All of that. We are quite blissful when we are together. When she is not home by the time I rise, I can feel her longing for me until she arrives home." The doctor's perplexed expression gave Eric pause, "What is it?"

Shrugging, Ludwig began packing up her bag, "Nothing. I am just amazed she has the willpower to remain a police officer while Bonded. Are you certain she's human?"

"She is a telepath."

"Is that all?" Ludwig raised her eyebrows again.

"Her blood is sweet," Eric offered.

"That doesn't narrow it down all that much," Ludwig quipped.

"I'm a Fairy," Sookie murmured from her bed, squirming slightly at the needle in her arm.

Eric's head snapped to the side, staring at his Bonded in disbelief, "Why did you not tell me?" he asked, astounded.

"I just found out today," the frightened young woman whispered wearily. "Gran told me in the in-between…" Her eyes closed as she shifted into a more comfortable position.

"The in-between…?" Eric murmured to himself, trying to determine just what it was she was attempting to explain. "Did you say that your grandmother told you this _today_?"

"Mmm-hmm," she sighed, repositioning herself once more.

Kneeling beside the bed, Eric took Sookie's hand in his own and cautiously asked, "Sookie, this in-between, is it the realm between life and death?"

Her blue eyes cracked open and he felt a pang of concern pass through him. "Yes," she admitted.

Kissing her palm, Eric nuzzled his cheek into it and then stroked her forearm while he tried to reconcile the thought that his mate had been so close to death.

"I'm sorry, Darlin', I… I fought real hard," she cried.

"No crying!" Ludwig commanded. "You've lost enough fluids for one day!"

Sookie turned her brimming eyes to the little doctor, "Are you the Supe doctor?"

A look of indignation crossed Ludwig's face before she huffed, "I am."

"Will I still be a telepath after he turns me?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Ludwig considered the hybrid on the bed, "It is quite likely that you will retain your gift. Is there anything else you need of me, Northman?" She asked.

"No," Eric whispered. "Nothing, thank you."

"Do not drink from the girl for at least a week, nor should you share your blood with her in that time. I believe a transfusion will be impossible with her genealogy. She has lost too much of her own blood for now, and if you were to share any with her, you could turn her. I assume that is not your wish at this time," Eric nodded numbly at her statement. "I will return in two weeks to take a blood sample from the girl. We will know more about her heritage after I have run some tests." With that, Ludwig **POP** **ped** out of the room and Eric was left to his anguished thoughts.

"Eric," Sookie began, but he silenced her with his haunted stare.

For a heart-rending moment, Sookie was left to grasp for words. How could she possibly comfort him?

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I was a fairy-"

"That is not why I am upset," Eric replied, a solemn expression upon his beautiful face.

"I know," They were silent for what seemed an eternity until Sookie whispered, "You want me to quit my job, don't you?"

"I…" Eric stifled the request he wanted to make. He could already feel her resistance through the Bond, and it caused him even more pain to ask her to make yet another sacrifice. She had already lost so much that day, and then almost so much more.

Sitting in silence, Sookie played with his cold fingertips until she asked, "Do you want me to quit, Eric? Do you want to turn me into a vampire now?"

"Sookie," Eric hushed her, his single word filled with such deep emotion. "I want you to be happy. That is all I have ever wanted for you."

Gazing at their twined fingertips, Sookie admitted, "I don't think I'm meant to be happy, Eric. I'm afraid that I'm too broken."

"I have felt your happiness," he reasoned gently. "I know that you can be happy, Dear One."

"I-" Sookie stopped and shook her head. "We need to get to the station. Everyone will wonder what's keeping us," she whispered. Nodding her head at the IV she asked, "How long do I need to be hooked up?"

Glancing at the bag, Eric answered, "Another twenty minutes or so."

Sighing, Sookie leaned back against the pillow and shut her eyes. "I'm just gonna shut my eyes for a couple minutes then," she whispered softly once more.

"Rest," he agreed, crawling into her bed and curling against her side. Eric played with the ends of her hair as he contemplated the terror growing inside him.

He desperately wanted to convince her to leave the police department, but he knew that she was close to being released from field duty. He _knew_ the danger that had nearly stolen her from him earlier in the day was due to an act on the part of his own kind. How could he make her leave something she loved when the dangers that tore at his soul had been caused by vampires? How could he turn her into the very thing that wanted to see her dead, wiped from the Earth?

Before he knew it, Sookie's IV bag was empty, and he was gently waking her rather than jarring her awake by removing the needle in her arm.

"Hmm?" Sookie groaned softly while cool kisses caressed her face.

"I was going to take the needle out for you, but I did not want to wake you with the pain," Eric's voice crooned into her ear.

"Oh, is it time to go?" she asked groggily.

"Yes, my Bonded. Soon we may leave and put an end to my Queen's reign."

"What happens after she is dethroned?" Sookie asked while Eric carefully removed the needle.

"A new regent will take her place," Eric replied as he rolled off the bed and stood to help her up as well.

"Who will that be?" Sookie asked while she walked unsteadily toward the closet to change.

Eric shrugged, "It could be a regent from another state wishing to expand their territory. It could be a vampire who wishes to increase their political involvement. There is no telling who might be my new monarch."

"Could you be king?" Sookie asked.

"I will be the first vampire offered the position given that it will be my deed that unseats Sophie-Anne," he admitted, "but I have no ambition to be king."

"Why?" Sookie asked.

"It is not a headache that I desire," he smiled forlornly.

As she dressed, Sookie looked back to her Bonded, sorrow in her heart. "I wish I could make you smile the right way," she whispered, tearing up.

"Oh, Sookie," Eric came to her and wrapped her in his arms. "I have barely had you in my world two months, and you have been shot just as many times!"

Circling her arms around his waist, Sookie pressed her cheek to his chest. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry."

Eric shook his head and held her tighter, "Do not be _sorry_ ," he pleaded. "It is not something you can help… It is who you are, it is what has made you the woman I love, but I do not want to lose you. I have gone over a thousand years without you, but I would not recognize my world without you in it."

Thinking of her near-death moments with Gran, Sookie wondered if the old woman had been _asking_ her something other than saying her final farewell. _'_ _Is he enough, Sookie?'_ She could practically hear Adele's voice in her ear. _'_ _Is he enough to say goodbye?'_

This time, she would not only be saying goodbye to Gran. She would be saying goodbye to her career, her purpose in life, that ever-burning flame of right versus wrong that had always driven her, keeping her going throughout the harshest and most dreadful times in her life.

 _Being with him isn't painful or difficult_ , Sookie reasoned with herself, _every moment I have ever lived for myself has been with him._

The Bond had no place throughout her internal struggle. Even before their Bond, Sookie would have happily agreed that Eric had become the principal focus in her life. The truth of the matter was that Sookie was now uncertain if the Bond meant that she had no further purpose or aim in her life other than to be with Eric, and she was rebelling. Would she still be Sookie Stackhouse if she were no longer a police officer? Was she still meeting her expectations for herself if she became a vampire housewife? Would she truly be happy, or would her happiness be an artificial byproduct of the Bond? _Who would she become?_

"Eric," Sookie sobbed. "I don't even know who I am anymore! I want to quit my job and run away with you, anywhere, everywhere, but is that _really_ what I want? Is it me? Is it the Bond? What have I been working for all this time, only to become your Bonded so that everything I've accomplished is just something I now shirk off to the side and just walk away, leaving it all behind me?"

Taking in all of her confusion, Eric leaned in and kissed the crown of her head, "Dear One, let us take care of the Queen and get you on interrogation duty. We will see how we fare once you are not patrolling the streets and in danger. After that, perhaps we can find a balance. Maybe my concerns for you will not be so… Paralyzing."

Nodding against his chest, Sookie sucked in a deep breath between her teeth and let out a sob. "Why can't I ever just have one terrible problem at a time?"

Eric laughed unsmilingly, "Because your life has never been an easy one, my Bonded. The Powers that Be seem to believe you are strong enough to take your tragedies in triplicate rather than one by one."

"Triplicate!" Sookie moaned. "Oh, God! What will be my third tragedy!?" she laughed almost as if on the edge of hysteria.

"My apologies, Sookie. I did not mean to imply anything else would go wrong," he responded somberly.

"Please stop being sad, Eric. I hate feeling you so torn up," Sookie cried.

Taking a breath, Eric pulled away and took Sookie's hand in his. "Shall we depart?"

"We shall," she agreed, letting Eric lead her out of the room. They made quick work of walking and feeding Sookie's dogs before making their way to the police station.

"Are you certain you are well enough for this?" Eric asked for the hundredth time while he helped her out of the car.

Unable to resist, Sookie rolled her eyes as she accepted his hand, "Yeah, Eric, I'm fine."

Together they walked into the station, picking up Eric's visitor pass before proceeding to lock-up. Sookie fired off a text to Trent, Kleinman, and Greggs while they headed to Chlebowski's cell. Once they arrived, Sookie found the three men she had texted waiting with a fourth whom Sookie recognized as Sargent Darsen of the Internal Affairs Department.

"Good Evening, Stackhouse," Darsen greeted apprehensively, and she could hear in his mind that he was very distracted by the news regarding her abilities. "Doin' all right?" He asked in attempted courtesy.

"Fine," Sookie responded. "How do you want to do this, Sargent? This is IA's show so we'll proceed however you see fit."

Surprised at the Detective's recognition, Darsen floundered a moment, "I suppose it would be best if we took Chlebowski to an interview room rather than Interrogation. I'll interview Chlebowski, and you and Northman do your thing…?" He suggested with an edge of uncertainty.

Nodding, Eric and Sookie followed Darsen while Kleinman and Greggs went to retrieve Chlebowski.

The three had just settled in, Darsen front and center, Sookie and Eric off to the corner of the interview room when Greggs and Kleinman arrived with Chlebowski.

"Good Evening, Officer," Darsen greeted smoothly.

The younger man tensed as he took a seat, his eyes drawn to Sookie. "Stackhouse, I'm so sorry-"

"It's all right, Chlebowski, relax. We're all going to figure this out," she assured him gently, feeling Eric's hand tighten over hers. When she looked at his expression, she could clearly see how much he wanted to kill the young patrol officer. Their Bond was not the least bit necessary for Sookie to know what he was feeling.

"Tim, why don't you tell us about your day today?" Darsen suggested, trying to distract the man from his confused reaction to Sookie's comment.

Shaking his head to dispel his confusion, Tim Chlebowski finally spoke, "It… You won't believe me," he said, almost too quietly to be heard.

"It's okay, Tim," Darsen encouraged. "We know what happened this afternoon wasn't your fault. Just tell us about your day before the shooting."

With an unsteady breath, Chlebowski began with the same uncertainty, "It was like a pounding in my head all day, there was this voice saying over and over that I couldn't do anything about it too close to dusk." Sookie's back tensed, having heard those words all day as well. "I didn't know _what_ it was I wasn't supposed to do," he said shakily, but it seemed as if he was talking to himself even while he continued, "but when I saw her in the hallway, my hand was on my gun, I was pointing it at her, and I fired. When I saw her hit the ground, the pounding went away, and it was like it was never there… like a dream," he finished.

"Had you met anyone new the previous night? Anyone suspicious?" Darsen asked.

Chlebowski shrugged, and began to speak like the young man they knew, "I was on duty the night before last. I pulled over a woman. She was driving a rental… I can't remember her face, which is weird. I'm pretty good at remembering stuff like that. Petersen stayed in the cruiser. I wrote up the ticket, went back to the cruiser. Petersen said I was there a long time and asked if it was a hottie. I told him she was nothing worth remembering."

"We'll need the write up from that moving violation," Darsen told him. Leaning back, he said to Eric, "I'll run the plates from the rental and get the information on who rented the vehicle." Eric merely nodded. "Anything else you can tell us, Tim?"

"Sophia Cesira, that was her name," Chlebowski remembered suddenly, and Eric cursed under his breath.

"Mean something to you?" Darsen asked the vampire.

"It is a common alias of a vampire with whom I am familiar," Eric replied in a firm, yet disturbingly calm manner. "A well-known one in our community. She either used it as a calling card or wanted it to appear as if she was being set up. That will be all the information I need to pursue my grievances combined with the additional evidence I have gathered for another crime to which she is connected. If you will keep this man on hold for me while I contact the proper channels, I would appreciate it. Dear One, do you need anything else?" he asked of Sookie.

Rising from her seat, Sookie looked at the young patrol officer with a sad smile, "I'm sorry you're being put through all this, Officer," she told him sincerely.

With that, the couple left the room, and Sookie took a deep breath that did nothing to allay her anxiety.

As they made their way to the Homicide Department, Eric squeezed Sookie's hand, "Go, speak to your friends. I will make my calls, and then we can leave," he encouraged.

Sookie nodded numbly and went toward her department, scarcely registering the mind just beyond the door. When it swung open and she was met with the red rimmed eyes of her brother, Sookie gasped, startled.

"Jason-"

"Shut the fuck up, Sooks!" Jason bellowed while he rose from her desk chair, storming toward his sister, "Ya don't even have the fuckin' decency ta call an' tell me Gran died!?"

"I-I-"

"Was too busy bein' a fangbangin' cunt ta call an' lemme know!?" He accused.

"Jason," Sookie tried to scramble for her justifications, "I was-"

"That's enough, Stackhouse!" Trent roared, reaching for the older sibling to halt his verbal assault.

"Ain't bad enough I gotta put up with your high horsin'! Now I'm gittin' even more looks a 'shame from the locals what wit' them all knowin' 'zactly what a freak you always been!" Jason continued, shrugging out of Trent's grasp, swinging his fist.

When Jason's fist connected with her face, Sookie felt many things, none of them anywhere near good-natured or the least bit kind. Grief, anger, spite, envy, turmoil, malevolence, resentment, rage, disgust, fear, and then an all-encompassing sense that her life had just disintegrated around her. There, in that moment, the young woman wanted to cry, to scream out at the inequality, and Jason's disgusting thoughts. She wanted to explode with righteous fury, then for all intent and purposes, that was exactly what happened.

A sudden burst of light illuminated the already well-lit office as radiantly as that of a supernova's flash. Every occupant in the room was thrust against one wall whereas Sookie stood in a five-foot circumference of desolation. All alone in her sphere, Sookie felt whatever energy she had propelled filter out of her body and away from her, until all that remained were tiny scraps of the rationale that had seen her through the day. She was empty…cold…void of anything she could recognize as her own… Alone.

"Sookie!"

"Stackhouse!"

"What the FUCK!?"

For the second time that day, Sookie felt as though she was struggling from deep within a great abyss. She was submerged, only this time her body was too leaden with grief to break the surface that had drawn her under.

"Fuck! Her wound is opening!" Trent's voice was miles away in the stratosphere.

"How is that even possible!?" Kleinman cried out, astonished.

"Whatever she did, whatever energy she just put out, it must have torn apart any healing by Northman's blood," Trent answered, clearly panicked. "Is this a fairy thing?!'

"Fairy!?" Jason exclaimed.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Eric's bellow rang through her ears, clear as day. Sookie struggled to open her eyes, seeking his face.

"Her brother hit her," Trent rushed to put in plain words. "Sookie fuckin' lost it, and a huge flash blew apart the room! Her wound reopened and she's bleedin' bad. Give her your blood!"

"I cannot!" Eric shouted, in a panic himself now. "She has lost too much of her own today. If she consumes any more she will become vampire! She is not ready-"

"Then she'll need a transfusion!" Kleinman reached for his phone, preparing to dial an ambulance.

"She cannot be transfused. She is fairy. Her body will reject human blood," Eric's voice was rapidly devolving into a near-animalistic growl as he grasped his phone, "Ludwig, appear now! Sookie is hurt!"

The **POP** that followed made Sookie's body flinch unconsciously.

"What did I tell you about letting her bleed, Northman?" Ludwig snarled as she strode over to the injured woman. "Oh my," she gasped, seeing the wound. "There is nothing to be done," she spoke gravely. "I do not even have the time to transfuse her. There is no time to get the fairy blood. You must change her, Northman, now, or lose your Bonded-"

"The hell he's turnin' my sister inta some Deader!" Jason yelled, oblivious to the fact that a little, mythical hobbit creature had spontaneously appeared in the office.

"Then she will die," Ludwig told him. "Forever."

"Better her dead for good than becomin' a soulless fanger!" Jason shouted forbiddingly.

A tear leaked out of Sookie's closed eye though she could scarcely feel as Eric's thumb brushed it away.

"Tell me, Sookie," Eric beseeched, "Please, tell me what you want?"

Her eyelids were too heavy, her throat too raw, but somehow through the pain and exhaustion she breathed out, "Save me…"

 **TBC**

 **A/N: See you all next week! Please remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	20. Chapter 19

Never End

 _A/N: Because I can't make everyone wait a week._

 _Thanks, **MsBuffy**. You're the best editor._

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Nineteen: Rebirth Realizations**

Trent stood motionless at the mound of earth. Captain Kleinman stood at his side along with two other Were officers. The four men watched the grave intently as the sun began to set.

"She'll rise soon," Trent spoke out hoarsely as the sun grew nearer the horizon.

Kleinman shook his head, "Not as soon as you think. The first rising takes longer. Her Bloodline will be here well before she's aware enough to rise."

Trent nodded jerkily in understanding, "It's been weird… Not seeing her for three days, not hearing her voice. Even when she was on administrative leave, she still called to check in."

"Drove Silva nuts," Lieutenant Greggs chuckled, shaking his head, replying in a gruff voice that spoke of his amusement and woe.

"But she's not _gone_ ," Kleinman reminded the men. "We'll just not see her during the day is all, and we can't get her drunk."

"When have we _ever_ gotten her drunk?" Trent teased, brushing away a tear.

"I saw her drunk once," Kleinman replied slyly, "at the police fundraiser a couple weeks ago."

Trent chuckled, "Wish you'd taped it."

The levity ended there and the men went back to standing in silence. Waiting… As the sun kissed the horizon and the moon began to glow greeting the night sky, Kleinman frowned, "I did not expect that."

"What?" Trent looked at his captain in confusion.

"Listen," Kleinman whispered.

Shutting his eyes, the deputy listened closely. "Are they moving already?" He looked to the horizon confirming it was not yet true dark.

"She's trying to move. Northman's keeping her down," Kleinman explained. "She's panicking."

"How can you _tell_?" Trent demanded.

"I've been to an early rising before," Kleinman explained, kneeling down toward the grave. "Stackhouse, this is your Captain speaking. The sun has only _just_ set. I know you're disoriented and Northman can't explain this to you, so I'm doing it! It is too early to come up. Just close your eyes, let him hold you, and relax! We're here guarding you. You're safe! You don't have to come up yet," he called to the ground.

"Is she calming down?" Trent asked worriedly.

"She's stopped moving toward the surface. I think she heard and understood," Kleinman reassured him.

Letting out a relieved breath, Trent crossed his arms over his chest.

{†}

It felt like an eternity to Sookie while she lay in the cold earth with her vampire's arms around her. After a few minutes of trying to remove herself from under the ground, she heard her captain shouting the reasons as to why she needed to remain buried, and why her mate was keeping her there. Soothed for the time being, Sookie stopped struggling and returned to Eric's arms. The Bond was singing with Reassurance and Love, and Sookie could not help but allow it to surround her.

Rather than become bored, Sookie began testing her gift. She could clearly hear the words of her colleagues and after a few minutes, she was relieved to discover that she could still also _hear_ them.

 _'I'm still a telepath!'_ she thought with a sense of comfort. An even greater relief was that Eric's mind remained blessedly silent.

After listening to the Weres for some time, sudden panic struck when Sookie began to fret over what had become of Mags and Junes. Who was taking care of them? Were they okay? Did they miss her? Would they still love her when she returned to them as a vampire? Unbeknown to her, tears began trickling down Sookie's face, and she sobbed against Eric's palm while she worried over her canine companions.

Comfort. Love.

Sookie sobbed even harder while Eric tried to soothe her through their Bond. His thumb rubbed her wet cheek, and his palm continued to prevent dirt becoming pulled into her lungs after she took a few instinctive breaths.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Sookie felt Eric urging her toward the surface. It was almost a bit like swimming through mud, but with Eric tugging and digging the way, it was not as difficult to break the surface.

"There she is!" Trent shouted happily when Sookie wriggled the remainder of the way out of her grave.

Sucking in that involuntary breath when she reached the grassy side of the Earth, Sookie sprawled on the cool blades while she took in all of the sounds around her.

"Sookie," Eric's voice brought her back from exploring the insect noises and heartbeats of the Weres around her.

"Yeah, Darlin'?" Sookie asked sweetly.

"How are you feeling?" Eric whispered, kneeling beside her.

"Dirty," she answered, frowning at all of the mud covering her.

The four Weres chuckled in harmony with Eric. "Pam has not arrived?" the older vampire asked in surprise.

"You guys rose really early," Kleinman explained. "It's only just turned true dark. Ravenscroft will only just now be able to leave her resting spot."

Nodding in understanding, Eric helped Sookie to her feet.

"Ben," Sookie looked to her cadet friend, "where are Mags and Junes?" she asked.

"Oh," Trent grinned, "I left them with a shifter friend of mine. He's actually from your hometown, Sam Merlotte?"

Sookie shrugged, "I don't know him."

"Oh, well, he has a bar and grill. They serve TrueBlood. I'm sure you could hop over there and get your dogs," Trent suggested.

Sookie looked to her Bonded and asked, "Will it be safe for me to go there?"

Eric nodded, "I will be with you. You will not cause any massacres with me nearby."

"I'd like to think I won't cause any massacres period," she told him pointedly.

"Babies have temper tantrums," Eric shrugged as Sookie rolled her eyes. "You are merely a baby capable of leveling a small town, exactly what that shithole of Bon Temps is."

"Are you guys good to go?" Trent asked, gesturing to a patrol car. "We figured we'd drop you off at Northman's place now that you don't need security."

"Oh!" Sookie beamed at him, "Thanks, that would be great! I want to shower somethin' awful," she admitted.

"There's some bottles of TrueBlood in there, too," Kleinman told them while they walked to the car. "I'm sure it's pretty uncomfortable for a baby vamp to rise without a drink."

"She is controlling herself remarkably well. Most newborns would have attacked you, even though you are Were," Eric noticed as he monitored their Bond and found his mate rather at ease.

Kleinman snorted, "Well, if there's anyone who would have that level of self-control, it's Stackhouse. I'll see you later, Sookie, and we'll talk about your standing with the department," he called to the departing couple.

"Thanks, Captain!" Sookie called back as Eric opened the back door for her. She slid in and curled into Eric's side once he was seated beside her. "Okay, Ben, give me the skinny. What's happened over the last three days? Where's Jason? What happened with Chlebowski? How did you get into Eric's place to take my dogs to Merlotte's?"

"Easy, Tiger!" Trent had not even turned the key in the ignition. Once the engine was running, he began answering her questions the best he could in the order she had asked. "First, a lot happened the last three days. Your brother took off once you started nursing on Northman's arm. He had some real shitty things to say. I caught up with him at your Gran's funeral and gave him a piece of my mind," he growled darkly. "I told him that the only reason you didn't call him about your Gran was because you were shot on your way to do just that! He told me to mind my own business, and that he didn't need any excuses from his 'blood sucking sister', as he put it. Sorry, Sooks, but your brother's a real ass hat." Sookie sighed in agreement as a pang jolted through her at having missed her Gran's funeral. "Chlebowski is being held by Ms. Ravenscroft. He'll be interviewed tonight for your case against Sophie-Anne. They're calling in the Ancient Pythoness to adjudicate the hearing. Ms. Ravenscroft has been organizing all that evidence while you've been under," Taking a deep breath, Trent wrapped up, "And Ms. Ravenscroft was also how I got your dogs out of Northman's house. She brought them to me, I took them to Sam."

"I see," Sookie replied, flinching when Eric pushed a bottle into her hand.

"Drink, Dear One. This reserve will not hold out for long," Eric told her.

Making a face, Sookie brought the bottle to her lips. At the first taste, Sookie knew why Eric hated the stuff. It was like trying to pass tofu off as steak. There was no comparison, or at least Sookie figured it to be true, having yet to taste genuine human blood.

"This stuff is horrible!" the telepath grimaced between gulps.

"Such a refined palate at a young age," Eric teased, taking the empty bottle from her and handing Sookie a second, "Try O neg, the universal donor has the mildest flavor."

Sookie took the offered bottle and chugged it. "Still disgusting," she complained, handing the empty over. "Don't you want one?"

"I drained the remainder of your blood three days ago. I will not need to drink again for over a week or two," Eric admitted, feeling more than discontented that his Bonded could no longer nourish him.

"For real? I thought I was already almost tapped out by then!" Sookie laughed.

"I am glad you feel such levity over your death, Sookie," Eric teased.

Shrugging, she took Eric's hand into hers, "Well, it's not exactly when or how I wanted this thing to happen, but I'm still in existence and I still have you. It's much easier to feel lighthearted over the matter when all I lost was sunbathing and a pulse." Squeezing their linked hands, she admitted, "This will take some getting used to though. You feel kind of warm to me now."

Eric nodded, "You are actually considerably warmer than me still. Strange…"

"Am I?" Sookie asked in surprise. "I can't tell 'cause I'm used to the difference being so much more extreme," she admitted with a laugh. "Is that bad?"

Eric shrugged, "It is curious, although it could very well have to do with the fact you are also Fae. A question later for Ludwig. We shall wait to see if there are any more peculiarities before summoning her again."

"How long?" Sookie asked.

"A few evenings. Two, perhaps three. I do not wish to allow any abnormalities to go unchecked for very long, however; I also detest summoning Ludwig more than required."

"She seemed rather rude," Sookie agreed.

"She also charges an arm and a leg for every call," Eric muttered.

"Wow, Croesus is worried about money!" Sookie taunted.

Pretending to pout, Eric gave her hand a playful, warning squeeze, "I am not one to throw money around carelessly."

"Yes, you have Pam to do that for you," Sookie pointed out.

Sighing in defeat, Eric conceded, "I do at that, but Pam also contributes a great amount to our Bloodline's wealth in her own way. She is much more adept at determining trends than I am, and has made some very cumulative investments in areas where I would not have thought to allocate my money."

"I thought you had the best business sense of the Bloodline," Sookie asked in wonder.

"I do, but Pam is the best at predicting the next big fad fashion-wise."

"Oooh," Sookie finally understood, "You let her invest in designers?"

"I do."

Nodding to herself, Sookie leaned her head against Eric's shoulder. "I hope I can become just as lucrative for your future financial gains."

Eric laughed softly to himself, "We do not have any expectations. Pam did not start contributing to the Bloodline's finances until the 1960's, and we never had any requirements that she do so. Of course, Pam is Pam, and though you may see her swipe my credit card rather than her own, she only does so because she is well aware that it is money she has earned as well. Despite her desire to portray herself as the spoiled Child, she is actually not spending nearly as much as she contributes."

"I see," Sookie replied thoughtfully. "What does Emily do to contribute? You said she's a pretty hefty contributor."

"You will like Emily. She has a knack for finding things, people. She has made a business out of finding things for others. During her century she has reunited several families with their loved ones," Eric told her.

"Maybe we can open a private investigating firm," Sookie chuckled.

"Perhaps."

The pair remained quiet during the remaining drive to their house, thanking Trent in turn as they exited the car. When they reached the threshold of the front door, Eric swept Sookie into his arms and carried her over, making her laugh.

"You're such a goof!" she said, running her hands through his hair while Eric carried her to the master bathroom. Finally setting her down, Eric began tugging off her bloodied and dirty clothes. "Oh, I'm wearing what I died in!" Sookie realized in sudden shock. "I'm surprised you didn't change my clothes!"

Eric flinched at the memory, "I wanted to get us in the ground as quickly as possible. I did not want to run any risks."

"Oh… Is that a thing? Going to ground quickly after turning someone?" Sookie asked as she shimmied out of her underwear.

"It can be with those who were turned during a trauma they sustained. Also, with your being part-fairy, I was hyper-diligent," he admitted while leaning around her to turn on the shower. As it warmed, Eric stripped out of his own clothing, and then ushered his mate into the falling spray. While streaks of dark water ran in rivulets over her skin, Eric noticed the unexpected luster of her tan. "You stayed quite golden," he commented. "Usually those with a tan appear more pallid than this after being turned."

"We'll chalk it up to another thing to mention to Ludwig," Sookie sighed, running one hand down Eric's chest while reaching for the soap with the other. They took turns lathering and scrubbing one another before moving on to their hair. Each put a glob of shampoo in their hands and then worked a lather into the other's golden locks. Eric was forced to crouch so that Sookie could reach his scalp, and she chuckled at his awkward stance. "You look like a gargoyle," she laughed.

"You look like a water nymph," he commented, planting his hands on her hips and tugging her toward him.

"Hold your horses!" Sookie swatted his hands away. "I need to finish rinsing my hair and so do you."

Eric groaned at the torture of having to wait for her to finish rinsing her hair, but he dutifully tilted his head directly beneath the shower spray and quickly rinsed away any suds. Sookie's longer hair took a bit more time to clear the lather, but once she was done, Eric turned off the water and carried Sookie to bed.

She giggled excitedly when Eric threw her onto the bed, her body bouncing on the mattress as her arms and legs opened invitingly. Gracefully slipping into her offered embrace, Eric ran his tongue up the length of her body until his mouth found hers. When his pelvis ground against hers, Eric heard the sound of fangs descending and felt the sharp slice on his lip.

Groaning in pleasure, Eric pulled away in time to see Sookie's hand cover her mouth self-consciously. "No, Dear One," Eric encouraged, "let me see them!" Sookie pulled her hand shyly from her mouth and he could see the uncertain tremble of her plump lips when she displayed her fangs. "You look so lovely, Sookie," Eric whispered, reaching for her mouth with his own. Now that her true teeth were shown, he snaked his tongue up along the ivory points toward her gums. As he did this, Sookie gasped, and her hips flexed beneath him. "Feel good?" he teased.

"Oh, yes," she whimpered into his mouth. "Almost as good as that tongue between my legs!"

"You are getting ahead of me," he groaned before kissing her again, pulling her body closer to his. She could feel his hardness growing against her thigh and she rocked her limb to encourage his stiffness. "It seems you are not in the mood to play…?" He inquired at the half-hearted attention she was paying him.

"I just feel easily distracted," she admitted guiltily. "It feels as if I'm thinking about so much more all at once than I did when I was human."

"You are," Eric agreed. "Though unlike a normal newborn, I can keep you in the mood as long as I like…" With that statement, Eric flooded the Bond with Love, Lust, and Desire. New to the overwhelming susceptibility to her emotions, Sookie immediately arched under Eric's motivating forces, moaning loudly as the space between her thighs began to throb as if he had been licking the area the whole time. "Mmm," Eric whispered into her ear, "much better."

Purring with the sudden change in mood, Sookie wrapped her legs around Eric's hips and drew them against her core. Her hips rocked, coating his staff with her moisture, but not quite managing to slip him inside her depths. As Eric moved himself around the churning motion, he slid between her folds and let out a loud moan.

"You are even hotter here," he remarked against her throat. "How are you still so _warm_?" he wondered, frantically rocking his pelvis against hers. His hand drifted between her thighs and began rubbing at her hard little nub just as urgently as his hips pumped against hers.

"In a hurry, Darlin'?" Sookie gasped, her thighs tensing while her hands clutched at the bedding. Before he could answer, the young vampire shivered and began to sob with an unexpected climax. As she fell over the edge, Eric thrust toward his own completion, filling Sookie with his seed. Though it took little time for Sookie to recover, her inner walls were still trembling around Eric's semi-hard member. "What was the rush?" Sookie asked breathlessly, trying to run a hand through her wet, sex-tousled hair.

Eric shrugged, "I could feel you losing your concentration. Rather than force you to keep fucking, I finished us off."

"You realize you can't _force_ me to want to fuck you, right? I'm pretty much always up for it!" she teased.

Eric smiled softly at her admission, "I am sure that is true, but fledglings are quite scatterbrained. It takes them a few years to stay focused for any length of time. Their minds wander, they get distracted. I have seen newborns stop mid-fuck to go hunt, read, or watch television. We have a saying for screwing newborns; 'Cum before they go'."

Sookie laughed, "You think I could want anything more than you?"

"There is nothing you feel pressed to do at the moment?" he tested.

"I _do_ kinda want to go get Mags and Junes… I want to know if they still love me," she whispered sadly.

"They may do as they did with me and jump when they first scent you. When you begin talking to them, they should begin recognizing you again," Eric warned her softly.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Sookie nodded, "Can we drop by Gran's grave while we're in Bon Temps? I," Sookie took another long inhale, though it did nothing to calm her nerves as it had when she needed to breathe, "I want to say goodbye."

"Of course, Dear One," Eric kissed the top of her head as he held her tightly to him. "I was curious if you wanted, but I did not want to press the matter considering your current volatile nature."

Smiling up at him, Sookie kissed the underside of Eric's chin. "Thanks."

Now that they were alone, that constant state of uneasiness was finally lifting its troubling weight off her chest. She was His now, completely, irrevocably His. He could control her, manipulate her emotions however he wanted. Despite her love for him, she had fears that he would not be the same Viking she had fallen in love with after her turning. To have this warm and intimate happiness was a relief. He had not been pretending. Eric Northman truly wanted to be everything and anything she needed, and it made her love for him increase past the point she had ever believed humanly possible.

 _'Then again, I'm not human anymore, am I?'_ Sookie thought wryly.

Eric's breath caught as he rose from their bed. A surge within their Bond made him gaze at his mate in wonderment. The love pouring out of her end of the Bond was awe-inspiring, completely eliminating all it had been before this moment. Whatever dam she had built before had finally crumbled, and he was experiencing unconditional love for the first time in his very long existence.

The couple quickly dressed and climbed into the Escalade to begin their journey to Bon Temps after their silent musings of one another. They went to Adele Stackhouse's grave first, not wanting to leave the dogs in the car, nor bring them into the cemetery.

"You know where it is?" Eric asked, breathing in the night air to taste freshly turned soil.

"Yeah, she had a plot right next to my Granddaddy. I know where it is," she answered him quietly, leading Eric through the maze of headstones; a path Eric realized she knew well. As they came to the fresh grave, Sookie lamented softly, "I just realized… I didn't remember to bring her flowers!" Looking around frantically, Sookie glanced up at the old farmhouse perched on the hill overlooking the graveyard. "Be right back, Gran!" Sookie said swiftly before standing, turning, and darting up the hill.

Eric waited patiently, knowing that she had simply gone to the farmhouse to pluck some summer blossoms from the plentiful bushes by the house. When she returned, Sookie knelt beside the grave, and placed the colorful bouquet next to the marker.

"Sorry about that, Gran," Sookie sighed. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to your funeral, too." Swiping at a bloody tear, the young vampire brought her hand back to her lap, fisting it in the material of her skirt. "So much happened that day. I'm not trying to make excuses, but let's just say I'd be buried right next to you otherwise. When we spoke in the in-between… I wonder if you knew what was going to happen to me before I did? The way you spoke to me? It was almost like you were trying to prepare me for becoming a vampire.

"It's pretty neat so far!" she told her conversationally. "I'm super-fast and strong. You'll probably be angry… I absolutely _hate_ synthetic blood, but it's disgusting! You know how you hate kidney pie? Ugh! Synthetic blood is just as bad! Worse, if you ask me!"

Eric smiled softly to himself while he listened to Sookie converse animatedly to her deceased grandmother. If he had not known better, he would have thought Adele was sitting atop her headstone, holding a conversation with his newborn Bonded.

"I promise to visit lots and lots!" Sookie said while rising, "and I'll remember flowers that I don't have to steal from your-" the fledgling paused. "Gran… Did you leave me the house?" Her eyes looked to Eric, "Can we see if I can enter the house?"

Eric nodded in reply, "I suppose that we could. Did your grandmother intend to give it to you?"

"Yeah, but now that I'm a vampire, I don't know what that will do with the barrier," she admitted.

Eric easily explained, "Well, the police department was filing a Certificate of Vampirism on your behalf. That means anything that was bequeathed to you would be held until after you rose. It is actually quite convenient being out of the coffin. It saves much of the paperwork and red tape for you youngsters."

Sookie chuckled, taking Eric's hand in hers while they walked back up the hill. As they took the two steps onto the porch, Sookie reached out her hand to try the door. It was locked.

Quickly extracting his lock picks, Eric had the door open in a matter of seconds, and Sookie reached past the threshold, more than pleasantly surprised to discover she still had access to her childhood home.

"Well, I guess she _did_ leave me the house after all!" Sookie gleefully remarked.

"Is there anything you need here?" Eric asked.

"I just want to do a quick walkthrough to see if Jason's nicked anything while I was underground. I'll need to get the locks changed, too," she noted.

"I will call someone to handle that. You go ahead and take your walk through the house," Eric encouraged while he took out his cell phone.

Leaving her Bonded in the entryway, Sookie quickly zipped through the house, delighting at the speed in which she could move in such close quarters. It was one thing to run at the speed of sound in the open, but to find she could maneuver just as swiftly in a building was even more exciting.

"Everything looks sound," Sookie announced once she returned to the front door.

"A security company will arrive shortly to change the locks and install a system on the house. They will drop off the keys tomorrow along with the code. Is there anything you want to take with us now that you will not have access to until tomorrow night?" Eric asked.

Sookie shook her head, "There's nothin' here I haven't lived without the past eight years."

"All right then, shall we go get Mags and Junes?"

"Absolutely! I miss my girls!" Sookie grinned.

Back in the Escalade, the two made their way to the bar and grill Trent had told them about. Sookie remembered the decrepit building from her childhood, but nodded in approval at the way in which Sam Merlotte had restored it.

"I'm impressed this Merlotte guy didn't have to bulldoze the whole building," Sookie remarked while they walked toward the entrance.

"It is still a shack," Eric remarked dryly.

"It's no Fangtasia," she teased, giving his side a pinch.

Eric snorted, "Considering your history with Fangtasia, I would not be surprised if you preferred this place."

"I dunno, the first couple times I was there were real nice," she said, giving him a wink. "That third trip was the killer!"

Eric rolled his eyes at her terrible joke, "You are the most unfunny creature I have ever met. Your puns are terrifying."

"Uh, you know the saying, 'people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones'?" Sookie raised her eyebrows, "I mean, ' _Fang_ tasia'?!"

Sighing, Eric pushed open the bar door and quickly scanned the room. There were three men sitting at the bar, and three tables where people were seated. Sookie found herself having to swallow hard with the temptation their pulses brought forth.

"You are fine, Sookie," Eric whispered. "Keep it together just a little longer and I will take you to Fangtasia tonight for a donor."

Nodding stiffly, Sookie walked up to the bar where a fire engine redhead was wiping down glasses.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, is Sam Merlotte here?" Sookie asked, a bit of strain coming through her voice due to the multiple tempting heartbeats in the room.

The redhead looked up, and Sookie noticed the name 'Arlene' on her tag. She also noted the slack-jawed appreciation Arlene gave her Bonded before stammering, "H-he's in his office. You a vendor?"

Sookie shook her head, "No, he's been watching my dogs."

"Oh! The shepherds?" Arlene asked, surprised out of her fantasizing of one mouthwatering Viking.

"Yeah, Mags and Junes," Sookie nodded in confirmation.

"Such sweet dogs! I let my kids play with them, I hope that's okay?" she nibbled her lip nervously.

"That's fine," Sookie assured her. "They love anyone who plays with them."

"I'll go grab Sam," Arlene told her, walking out from behind the bar and through a door by the kitchen service window.

Shortly after the redhead disappeared, a shout of, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?" could be heard from the back, and soon a man in a plaid shirt, grubby jeans, and shaggy, reddish, dirty-blonde hair emerged. He approached the two of them and immediately glared at Eric. "Northman! How the hell could you bring a fledgling in here!?" He demanded through clenched teeth with a forceful tone, but his voice was not raised; in fact, had they not been vampires, Eric and Sookie would not have heard him at all.

Snarling under his breath, Eric swiftly closed the distance between him and Sam Merlotte. "She is under perfect control, _shifter_ ," he hissed authoritatively in the man's face, clearly the dominant of the two.

"I just want my dogs," Sookie interrupted, attempting to ease the animosity. "I'll leave real quick, I promise!"

Eric snapped his attention back to Sookie before sighing in defeat. Sookie was not at all the confrontational type, avoiding it at all costs, only getting her dander up when her walls were intruded upon. It was apparent to Eric that his Bonded was not the sort to become defensive with those who viewed her negatively. A pang of sorrow ran through him while he considered the reasons.

That was enough for the bar owner. He might not have been the smartest man, but he knew better than to get on the bad side of the Area's vampire Sheriff. Sam rolled his eyes, tilting his head toward the door, "C'mon, then. Let's get this over with."

The vampires followed the shifter out the back door and past his office to a little trailer planted a few yards away. Excited, Sookie called out, "Mags! Junes! Mamma's here!"

A duet of harmonious barking broke out at the sound of Sookie's voice, and the young vampire recognized it as happy yelps. They had missed her!

"Stay here, I'll open the door, an' let 'em out," Merlotte requested, jogging the rest of his way to the trailer.

After the door was opened, Sookie flung her arms wide, "My girls! Come! I missed you so much!"

Junes came barreling out the door first, lunging straight for Sookie. The dog scarcely hesitated to jump into her arms. Mags, on the other hand, paused halfway to her mistress and waited several seconds until she closed the distance, kissing her mother just as eagerly as her sister.

"Oh, my girls!" Sookie sobbed, burying her bloody tears in their coats while she hugged and kissed them. "I was so worried you wouldn't love me anymore!" she cried, reminding herself not to squeeze too hard as she embraced them. The dogs cleaned her face and Sookie blanched while they did so. What would vampire blood do to _dogs_?

When the dogs did not appear to show any effects after drinking her blood, Sookie let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for taking care of my dogs, Mr. Merlotte. I'm sure taking them in at the last minute was not easy on you. Is there anything I can do to thank you?" Sookie asked.

"Uh…" Sam looked at her uncomfortably. _I know she's a baby vamp, but she's so_ _ **nice**_ _! Wonder how long that'll last?_ "Nah. They were good girls. Cried a lot, but that was OK. I understood. They didn't know what happened to ya. Trent brought their food and stuff, so I wasn't out no money watchin' them."

Nodding, Sookie rubbed her dogs' ears while she said, "Well, if there's anything I can ever do for you, just let me know. I owe you a huge favor. Mags and Junes mean the world to me!"

"Oh, thanks," Sam replied hesitantly, and Sookie could hear in his mind how uncertain he was of her cordial nature. _Usually even a fledge vamp don't like us two-natured folk, and she's with_ _ **Northman?**_ _Surely she'd be quick to look down on us with that kind of Bonded…?_

"I was a cop, you know," Sookie told him. "I've been around Weres a long time, and I would never be mean to a two-natured just cause they're two-natured, no matter if I'm human or vamp."

Sam processed that a moment before accepting her explanation and changing the subject, "Trent just said they was a friend's dogs. I didn't know it was a friend from the force. Hey! You're Sookie Stackhouse, ain't you? Adele'd talk my ear off 'bout you at the butcher!"

Sookie's smile faltered with the mention of her Gran, "Did you, umm, go to her funeral?" she asked.

Sam nodded, "Yeah."

"It was beautiful, right? They sent her off good and proper?" she asked while she held back a sniffle.

Sam's expression softened, "They sent her off just right, Stackhouse. It was a real nice service… So, this why you missed the funeral?" he gestured to her transformed body.

"Yeah," Sookie answered him, "I was shot the morning she died, but I managed to survive it, although something else happened later that night. My wound reopened and I began to bleed out. Eric had to turn me."

"Sounds to me like you was havin' a pretty shitty day," Sam crossed his arms over his chest while he thought about the young vampire's appalling exit from mortality.

"Could have been worse," Sookie shrugged, not wishing to dwell in that moment.

"I take it then your brother ain't too happy about the vampire thing? I seen him and Ben having words at the funeral."

Sookie frowned, "No, he's not happy at all. He said he'd rather me be dead than vampire, only that wasn't his decision to make."

"No, it was not," Eric agreed, snarling. "Merlotte, if you will excuse us. Sookie has just risen this evening and is in need of another meal."

The shifter nodded in understanding, "Yeah, sure, I hear ya." He waved at the couple as they lead Mags and Junes back around the bar to the customer parking area. "Don't be shy 'bout bringin' those girls back for a visit!" he called, "We had a good time!"

Sookie's back tensed, "Not sure how to take that…"

Eric laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist, "They probably all went running together. Shifters are particularly social with the species into which they often transform. Actually, they tend to have better kinship with familiar animals than other shifters or Weres."

"Merlotte turns into a dog?" Sookie asked, only a little stunned.

"Yes."

"That's cool," she answered, opening the door of the Escalade to herd Mags and Junes into the backseat. "Good girls," Sookie cooed to them before closing the door. Eric had her door open as she turned around, and she smiled at him when he held out a hand to help her inside, "Still such a gentleman."

"Only for you," he replied, closing the door and heading to his own side.

The drive back to Shreveport was short to Sookie because she was paying so much attention to Mags and Junes, and discussing some of the modifications she wanted to make to give the dogs maximum comfort while she was dead for the day.

"-and some kind of doggy door so they can get outside during the day, and maybe we could fence in part of the yard just so I know they aren't wandering around? Oh! Maybe I should get them a bigger water bowl? And one of those timer food dishes?"

Eric laughed while she rambled on, "If I had realized the best way to spend money on you was to spend it on the dogs, I would have started spoiling them much sooner."

Sookie rolled her eyes at her Bonded's statement, "I can't help that I want my babies comfortable while I can't be watching over them!"

Nodding in agreement, Eric pulled up to the house and they took the dogs inside. Sookie quickly fed them, and then let them outside to run around. Afterward, Sookie filled their water bowl and the couple left for Fangtasia.

As they pulled up to the club, Sookie frowned when Eric helped her out of the vehicle.

"What is it, my Bonded?" Eric asked after feeling her confusion and seeing the expression on her face.

"Full house tonight?" she asked, perplexed. "It's much noisier than usual," she commented, pointing to her head.

Eric frowned as well. The parking lot had not shown a surplus of patrons, and his own enhanced hearing had not identified more heartbeats than were typical for a weeknight. As the confused couple entered the club, Eric monitored his mate closely while she took in the sights, scents, and sounds with her newly enhanced senses. Suddenly, he noticed her eyes begin to dart all around as they widened and an overwhelming panic rose within the Bond.

"What is it, Sookie?" Eric asked, seriously concerned.

"Eric, I can _hear_ everyone!" she hissed, making the ancient vampire laugh.

"Of course you can, Dear One. Your superior sense of hearing can now differentiate sound frequencies clearly, and this allows you to hear everyone despite the music being so loud," he explained.

Sookie shook her head violently, "That's not what I mean!" she insisted.

Eric stilled, comprehending what she was attempting to say without actually saying it. The realization came quickly, and it shook the ancient to the core. "Everyone?" he asked pointedly.

"Everyone _except_ you," she replied, pulling her lip between her teeth.

"We must call Ludwig," Eric responded quietly, dragging Sookie toward his office. As he made the beeline, his eyes scanned the room looking for a quick meal for Sookie. He saw an unassuming brunette standing uneasily by the bar, and he knew she would be perfect for his telepathic Mate. "You," he pointed to the woman who jerked, and then became instantly entranced by his blue stare, "do you wish to feed my Mate?" he gestured to Sookie.

"Uh, umm… okay?" the woman tripped over her words, not having anticipated becoming a meal for a vampire on her first trip to Fangtasia, especially not the snack for a pretty blonde one. However, curiosity was on Sookie's side and the brunette followed the pair to Eric's office.

Eric gestured to the couch, taking Sookie and the donor over to be seated. "Ready for Glamour 101?" he asked.

"Let's do it," Sookie nodded.

"First," Eric began his instruction, "capture her eyes in your stare and draw in her mind as though it is the only one in existence. Become void of anything that is not her."

Sookie trained her eyes on the brown orbs of her meal, though she could not clear her mind as Eric had instructed. The thoughts of all the other patrons and vampires penetrated her mind. The distractions were both great and overpowering. Aggravated, Sookie pushed at the distractions, and then was greatly surprised when the world around her silenced. As a human, the only time Sookie experienced silence was in Eric's arms.

"Do you feel her, Sookie?" Eric's voice was fluid, forcing the telepath to focus harder. "Sookie?"

The telepath shook her head, distracted by her mind being hers and hers alone for the first time in her existence. "Sorry, I got lost in my own head," she admitted.

Eric chuckled, "That is normal. Now, try again to empty your mind."

 _Oh, gosh_ , the brunette beside Sookie thought nervously, _I didn't realize she was a new vamp! They're supposed to be a lot more dangerous when they're hungry! Oh, God, am I going to die!?_

"You'll be perfectly fine, Darla," Sookie crooned, reaching out to brush a lock of hair off the young woman's face. "There's nothin' to worry about."

Darla's shoulders relaxed visibly, and Eric's brows rose in confusion once he realized the donor was not under the influence of glamour. She was merely comforted by Sookie's assuring tone and gestures.

"Sookie, focus," Eric coaxed.

The youngling shook her head, "There's nothin' to focus on, Eric. There's no pull. There's not a hint that I'm doing it right. I can turn off everything, but I can't turn on the glamour," she tried to explain.

"Yet another curiosity. Some vampires are more adept at glamour than others, but I have never heard of a vampire who could not do it," Eric was frowning to himself as he leaned over to capture Darla's gaze to glamour her. The woman's body went limp. "She is under. You may feed at any time now and not injure her." Sighing, Sookie pulled the woman against her chest. "Find her pulse point with your tongue… Hmm, your fangs have not dropped yet. No matter, they will once your tongue is on her carotid," he assured her. Eric was quickly finding that Sookie was not responding as a normal fledgling, not even a Bonded fledgling. Even Emily, with her sweet and protective disposition, did not have the same resistance to her nature Sookie appeared to be having.

Sookie's tongue traced the donor's neck, finding the fluttering pulse beneath the thin membrane of skin. Instantly, her fangs descended and pierced Darla's neck like a needle though silk. Sookie's mouth rapidly filled with warm blood, but the telepath found herself _not_ compulsively gulping it down. To her, the action felt rather mechanical, like eating salad until she had been full as a mortal. It was easy enough to consume, but she only did so to keep herself nourished. There was no pleasure, and the flavor was only moderately more palatable than synthetic blood had been.

Drinking her fill, Sookie then laved her tongue over the injury as Eric had done for her so many times to seal the wound. When Darla was gently pushed away, Sookie looked to her alarmed Bonded.

"What?" she asked. "Did I not do it properly?" 

Eric's surprise was in the expression of his tightly-drawn face, "You did it perfectly. That is what is so surprising. Newborns have a tendency to drain."

Sookie shrugged, "It's like eating healthy food, you eat until you're full. It's not chocolate ice cream," she explained.

Eric's frown became deeper before he caught Darla's stare once more, and then dismissed her. "I am calling Ludwig," he announced once the human was gone.

"Is it that serious that I'm not a blood-lusting psychopath?" Sookie demanded while Eric took his phone out of his pocket and made the call.

While the phone rang, Eric listed, "You have _no_ bloodlust, your gift has expanded to include everyone with the exception of me, you have no true desire for blood, even your dogs barely paused at accepting you. I must have done something wrong-"

" _I will appear immediately!"_ Ludwig's voice chimed excitedly over the phone. Eric had no time to warn Sookie before the **POP** of Ludwig's entrance announced her arrival. "There are several abnormalities?" she demanded with impatient exuberance.

"Apparently," Sookie muttered.

Ludwig appeared ready to do a tiny hobbit-like version of a happy dance, refraining only on account of her distaste for anything resembling pleasant or overly-ecstatic expressions.

"When you were bleeding out at the police station, I thought it might be my last chance to get a decent blood sample," Ludwig began in her regular terse tone only to change it dramatically in the very next sentence. "I have been examining that sample over the last three days and I must say, Young One, for such a fraction of fairy blood in your veins, you sure are a whole lot of fairy!"

"I don't understand," the baby vampire tilted her head curiously.

Ludwig answered her, now practically gushing, "From what I have traced through your genetic line, you should be only one-eighth fairy. That would mean you have little to no direct Fae heritage. Unless you are not biologically Michelle Stackhouse's daughter, you should not have nearly as many fairy markers in your blood as you do. As a third generation hybrid, your gift could have been an understandable occurrence. However, your blood has far more DNA of a half-breed fairy than that of a thrice-removed fairy."

"I really don't speak Supe all that well, Doc," Sookie admitted, completely baffled by the explanation she had just been given.

Ludwig flung her hands in the air, exasperation and a scowl prominent upon her face, "It means that you are the closest we have come, and potentially will ever come, to seeing what a vampire fairy will be!" At Sookie's continued confusion, Ludwig elaborated further, "Your blood is the purest I have seen of a hybrid who was successfully transformed into a vampire. Vampires _cannot_ turn fairies. They do not have the control to do so without draining them."

Sookie's confusion quickly turned into terror, "So what does this mean?"

Ludwig's grin widened, "I can't wait to find out!"

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Rikku Ree, I hope that you found the length of this chapter more to your liking ;)**

 **Please remember to review, everyone!  
**

 **-Andi**


	21. Chapter 20

Never End

 _A/N: Thanks, everyone, for all the cool reviews! I'm really excited about the gracious welcoming of 'Vampire Sookie'. I've been wanting to write a Vampire Sookie story for a while. I hope that you're all finding it enjoyable, and I apologize as we go through some emotional growing pains with the new Baby Vamp._

 _Greatest thanks to **MsBuffy** for the editing expertise!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty: So What Does this Mean?**

"Now!" Ludwig clapped her hands enthusiastically, "Northman! Tell me every single irregularity you have witnessed so far!"

"In order or by peculiarity?" Eric muttered.

Ludwig pondered a moment, "In order."

Ticking off his fingers one by one, Eric began, "She rose considerably early this evening, she is warmer than I am by quite a bit, she has remarkable self-control, her dogs barely gave any pause when reintroduced to her, she cannot use glamour, she has little to no interest in drinking human blood, and," Eric then grabbed a pen, paper, and jotted down a note, handing it to Ludwig. _~She can now hear vampires, except for me._ After Ludwig read the note with increasingly widening eyes, Eric plucked it from her fingertips and quickly grabbed a book of matches to set the incriminating document on fire. When the note was nothing but ash, Eric mashed them with his thumb as though he were concerned they could still be read.

"That is quite a list," Ludwig murmured to herself. "Northman, I would like to make a deal with you and your Bonded."

"We are listening," Eric waved for her to go on with her proposal.

"I would greatly enjoy studying your Mate, testing and observing how she varies from normal vampires. In return, I will forgo my usual treatment and consultation fees."

"Deal!" Sookie shouted excitedly.

"Sookie, you do not know what sort of tests she has in mind," Eric pointed out.

"I don't care," Sookie turned her imploring eyes toward him. "I just started in my new existence as the same freak I was as a human, but this time, there's someone willing to help me learn and understand what makes me different. I don't care if she has to chop off a limb if it means I'll get answers and not be a step behind the way I was when I was human. I don't want to be that scared, isolated shell of a person I was for the past twenty-five years! I can't become that again! I don't want you to be the _only_ creature I can stand to be around. I love you dearly, but I don't want to be in the dark again!"

Eric's shoulders tensed hearing her confession. "I do not want to hide you away, Dear One," he answered her, struggling to remain composed, "but I cannot lose you either. I do not want to put you at risk by letting others discover what you are, what your capabilities are." Bowing his head with guilt, he admitted, "I would not have told even Ludwig of your gift if it had not brought me such uncertainty and concern."

Nodding in understanding, Sookie pulled her Bonded into her arms and rested her head against his chest. "I'm so sorry if I am being selfish right now," she whispered, squeezing him tighter. "Only, I'm scared… Of _so many things_ ," she finished.

"I know, Sookie. So am I."

Ludwig cleared her throat at the intimate moment occurring before her, "Well, if I may, I would like to take a small sample of your blood, Young One. I wish to compare it to your mortal blood, and also a sample of your blood, Northman. I am curious to see if you underwent any changes when you transformed her."

"But you have nothing with which to compare it," Eric indicated, even as he offered his arm.

Snickering to herself, the doctor opened her medical bag and took out the instruments she required. "Oh, I have samples of all of my patients," she laughed as she stuck Eric with a needle and used the plunger to extract the blood out of his pulseless body.

"What were you treated for?" Sookie asked her Mate, her voice pitching in surprised anxiety. She scarcely noticed the new needle piercing her own arm.

Shrugging uncomfortably, Eric admitted, "I sustained a partial decapitation a few centuries back." Sookie's eyes widened, and Eric could feel a wave of panic flooding her. He kissed the top of her head soothingly.

"Partial!" Ludwig cackled. "Three centimeters deeper and you would have been a pile of flesh! I had to bolt iron plates from your T4 to your C3 just to keep that boulder of a head from snapping the rest of the way off!" Eric grimaced at her recollection. The experience had been the most uncomfortable of his existence. Four years of high collar shirts and having to turn his entire body to look either direction had been grueling enough in itself without the added anxiety of being in a suspended state of impending instant death. He had been forced to reunite with his Maker only for the added security while he recovered.

"How were you almost decapitated!?" Sookie demanded shrilly.

Eric shrugged, "Territory dispute. Two kingdoms were at war. I was fighting for my King's territory and went up against another vampire one hundred plus years my senior. The dispute ended mid-battle, but our fight continued. My opponent caught me with a transverse swing, and I only managed to pull back before my head was severed. Russel Edgington, the current King of Mississippi, stepped in and saved me, transported me off the battlefield, and summoned Ludwig. He even made the arrangements to have me returned to my Maker once my head was immobilized."

"Remind me to send him flowers and a 'Thank you' card," Sookie shuddered.

Laughing now, Eric kissed the top of her head once again, "It was five hundred years ago, Sookie. I doubt he even recalls it."

"Still," she insisted, "I want to thank the man who spared my Bonded and gave me to chance to know him."

"Which brings me to my next question," Ludwig interrupted. "How _is_ your Bond? Any variations there?"

"None that I can tell. It feels unquestionably stronger than when she was mortal, but other than that, it is well and intact," Eric described.

Ludwig nodded. "That is good to hear. Stackhouse," she focused her attention on Sookie, "you have had both synthetic and human blood already?"

"Yeah," Sookie confirmed.

"Yet you did not enjoy human blood?" Ludwig pressed.

"Well," Sookie answered after some careful thought, "it's not that I didn't like it, I just didn't find it all that much to brag about. I like it better than synthetic. It doesn't have that gross aftertaste," she offered.

Tapping her fingers against her chin, Ludwig asked, "But you can drink either just fine?"

"Well, sure, but it's kind of bland to me either way. If I'm drinking TrueBlood, it's not so bad until I stop drinking. Then the aftertaste kicks in, and it's disgusting. If I had a chaser of human blood behind it, I could drink mostly synthetic and not really notice a difference," she responded even more precisely.

"Very interesting," the doctor murmured to herself. "Well, I will study your samples and get back to you tomorrow evening," With that, the little doctor **POP** **ped** out of the office.

"How did she manage to preserve a five-hundred-year old blood sample?" Sookie asked Eric.

Her Mate lifted his shoulders, not certain himself. "Probably a magical stasis chamber," he guessed.

Sighing, Sookie reasoned, "I suppose nowadays I should just assume if I don't understand how something works, I should just chalk it up to magic."

Eric chuckled while he nodded in agreement, "Perhaps, but keep asking. Who knows, I might have a theory in the future that does not use the magic excuse."

"Well, when that happens, I'll mark the calendar!" Amused by her remark, Eric kissed the side of Sookie's head while he guided her toward the door. "What are we doing now?" she asked while he ushered her down the hall onto the main floor of Fangtasia.

"We are going to find Pam to discuss the current climate of our situation with the Queen," Eric replied, leading her expertly through the club to his aggravated Child.

 _I can't believe he didn't even bother to call to let me know he left the grave already… Stackhouse doesn't smell right… I still have the urge to bite her. She still smells good enough to eat!_

Remembering how she had managed to silence the thoughts in the club back in Eric's office, Sookie let go of her shields and all of her guards. Immediately the thoughts dissolved and all that rang in her head were the same noises every other vampire was subjected to hearing.

"Master," Pam nodded at Eric, and then turned to do the same to Sookie, "Mistress."

Sookie made a face at her new title. "Oh, please tell me I don't have to get used to that," she winced.

"Only when other vampires are around," Eric assured her. "In this club, you will only hear Pam call me by my name when those under my protection are not present. Because you are my Bonded, she must show you the same respect she gives me when my subordinates are within earshot."

"Oh, okay," Sookie nodded in understanding. "Sorry," she told Pam, "I thought I'd have a few years to learn all the rules before I was suddenly abiding by them."

"I understand, Mistress," Pam nodded.

"What is our situation with the fly in our ointment?" Eric asked.

"Grievances have been filed with the Council," Pam answered him. "The Magister will arrive in Louisiana tomorrow evening. They tried getting him here before you rose, but I requested that they give your Bonded Mate at least one evening's time to adjust to her immortality."

"When will the pest be detained?" Eric demanded.

"I contacted Russel Edgington shortly after you were buried. He arrived in the pest's lair that very evening to subdue it and its entire Bloodline. He is currently handling matters in an effort to keep panic at a minimum. Master Godric and Mistress Emily will arrive later this evening. Their accommodations at my residence have already been prepared to allow you two a proper first evening together."

Eric smiled wryly while he shook his head, reaching into his back pocket. Pulling out his wallet, he took out his black AmEx and handed it to Pam who grinned like a fiend.

"No online shopping," he warned her before taking his grip off of the card.

Pam frowned over his one restriction, but nodded, and then she zipped out of the club.

"What was that?" Sookie asked, more than a little perplexed.

Eric cleared his throat needlessly. "Well, there is another reason Pam uses my credit card rather than her own. She has…shall we say, impulse control issues when it comes to shopping. My black AmEx is the only unlimited card I carry."

"Why no online shopping?" Sookie asked.

"Because my account will be a mess for months when she shops online. She changes her mind when she tries on the clothes, or the shoes are not tall enough, or she discovers that the leather is fake. All of the returns are tedious to balance when I pay off the card."

Sookie laughed at his frustrated explanation, "Okay, so we've talked to Pam. Now what?"

"Now," Eric tilted his head down to catch her eyes, "we go home, take the dogs for a run, and spend the remainder of the evening relaxing and being thoroughly indulgent."

Letting out a deep, unneeded breath, Sookie wrapped her arms around Eric's waist and snuggled into his side. She let him lead her back out of the club, and once they were in the car, she turned to look up at him and asked, "Shouldn't you have introduced me to the other vamps? You were going to do that when I was still human, weren't you?"

Eric shook his head, "Those who were there knew who you were once they saw us. There was no need to be formal. Besides, Pam informed the vampires of Area 5 about the abrupt necessity behind your metamorphosis. That was why we were not bombarded when we arrived this evening. The vampire community has a great respect for Bonded vampires, and a strange, almost unnatural empathy for what I was forced to endure before bringing you over."

"How do you mean?"

Eric's hand faltered as he went to start to the car. His hand settled in his lap and he stared out the windshield a moment before he replied. Sookie could feel his caution as though her heart could still hammer in her chest.

"Dear One, you were dying in my arms. Everything we had planned, every intention we had was being ripped from me in that moment. I asked you if you wanted me to turn you, but the truth was that I had no choice. Those moments before you told me to save you were the most grueling of my existence. In those moments, a million possibilities ran through my mind," He looked at the upturned palms in his lap, sounding so lost as he softly admitted, "I was afraid you would not agree, terrified you would succumb to unconsciousness before you could… Mortified of the possibility of you rising in three evenings and hating me for eternity for turning you into the monster whom you were never prepared to become."

"I'm not a monster, Eric," Sookie said gently. "I've never seen you as a monster, and I definitely don't see myself as one. I still see myself as a freak," she teased lightly, "but not a demon. I drink blood, sure, but I still feel. I feel love for you and my girls. I care about what happens to my brother despite everything that happened. I am grieving, and so downhearted for missing my Gran's funeral." Sookie took one of his hands in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I still feel all of these very real and very human emotions, Darlin', maybe even more strongly than before."

Eric brought their joined hands to his lips, smiled, and kissed the back of her knuckles, "I am glad." He placed her hand on his thigh then finally started his car. When they were on the road, he took her hand back into his and held it there, managing to shift gears while still keeping their fingers laced.

When they arrived at the house for the third time in that single evening, Sookie raced to the door, ready to spend quality time with her dogs. Eric quickly had them leashed, and they took off on their promised run. Sookie set the pace to Junes' speed, knowing the sturdier shepherd would never be able to keep up at Mags' roadrunner pace. Now that she did not need the air, Sookie maintained a pleasant conversation with her Bonded while they ran, bantering and laughing the entire time.

After nearly twenty minutes, Sookie turned them around to start heading back to the house when Eric took out his cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" Sookie asked.

Her Bonded replied, "I need someone to come to the house and take measurements for an estimate on that fence you wanted. I also need to have a door installed for them so they can go in and out of the house as they please."

"Oh… Wait! You have a guy's number on your phone who can just do that stuff?"

"I do."

"You have some _weird_ priorities on that phone," she told him.

He smiled and held a finger up to signal her to wait while he began speaking to his contractor about material specifications, and starting and ending points for the fence. As they rounded up on the house, Eric hung up his phone, "All finished. He will take measurements tomorrow during the day and have an estimate for me by nightfall."

"If you're gonna use him anyway, why do you need an estimate?" Sookie asked.

"Estimates for completion, Dear One. I am already aware of the quality of his work and no matter the cost he gives me; he will still install it."

Nodding that she understood, the couple walked the remainder of the way home, giving the dogs time to cool down after their run. When they were back at the house, Eric lead Sookie to the living room and curled up with her on the couch.

"Movie?" she asked, surprised.

"I thought it would be something nice and familiar for you," Eric replied, going to the DVD rack and grabbing a case at random. He popped it in the player and came to curl Sookie against his side.

"For you, too?" she guessed.

"For me, too," he agreed. "Admittedly, all of the news this evening has me out of sorts. I am unaccustomed to this sort of dread and concern."

"I don't think any of my abnormalities are your fault, Eric," she crooned. "Even Ludwig thinks it all has to do with my heritage. You can't do anything about with whom my great-grandparents had sex," she reasoned.

"You are correct," Eric sighed. "Still, I worry greatly about what effect vampirism will have on you. Why are you warmer than me? Why can you not glamour? Why do you not feed like a man who has found water in the desert?" the ancient vampire shook his head, confused. "It frightens me, these variations of yours. It means that other standards might not be the same. What if you are not genuinely immortal? What if you can be killed by less than me? What if you are not able to heal as quickly-"

"Eric," Sookie pressed a finger to his lips, "this is our first night of forever. Don't think so far ahead, Darlin'. It'll all work out, I promise."

"How can you promise that?" he asked.

A soft smile adorned her lips, "Because Fate owes me, and I have faith that Fate will deliver."

"Ah, your bullet of destiny theory?" Eric remembered.

"Yes, and you're the target I was supposed to hit. I will do things in this world that have nothing to do with you, just as you will do things that have nothing to do with me, but you will _always_ be why I want to exist. Forever."

"I could not have said it better myself," Eric whispered before going silent and focusing on the movie.

The couple watched several mindless films, hands running over arms and thighs until Eric turned off the TV, and rose to let the dogs out one last time before sunrise. As he stood next to Sookie on the patio, he could feel her body tensing against his side.

"It is the dawn," Eric explained the anxiety rising inside of her. "You can feel the sun beginning to rise and your body is telling you to take shelter."

"I think I'm a little scared," Sookie whispered.

"Understandable," he nodded reassuringly. "You will more than likely feel a similar panic just before you die for the day. It is normal."

"That's a first for me!" she snorted at the irony.

Eric smiled at her joke, "For you, anything normal is a relief for me."

After the dogs had done their business, Sookie made sure they had fresh water and put food in their dishes, watching as they gobbled it up. "Okay, girls, you're getting breakfast early, but you're also getting dinner late!" she told them. "Now, be good, and I'll see you tonight." She knelt down and kissed the tops of both of their heads. "Love you, girls!"

Once Sookie had said her good night to Junes and Mags, he took her hand and lead his Bonded back to their bedroom. He was amused to find her suddenly shy, and once the door was closed and security system engaged, he turned to wrap her in his arms and give her a curious tilt of his head.

"Are you all right, Sookie?" he asked gently

The woman shrugged, "I suppose everything is sinking in now."

"Such as?" he began unbuttoning her shirt.

"I'm a vampire now, but… I'm still not normal, even by vampire standards," she answered softly, as if she was trying to explain to herself as well. "I guess I hoped that I would finally fit in, and now there's a distinct possibility that I fit in even less."

"You fit _me_ ," Eric told her reassuringly. "It does not matter if you are the most ordinary vampire in the world or the most unique. You will _always_ be my perfect Mate."

"Even though I can hear vampires now?"

"We will see danger coming a mile away and easily clear its path," he told her.

"Even though I don't like blood?"

"You will never be overcome with bloodlust to put yourself at risk."

Sookie smiled as her Mate pushed open her shirt and off her shoulders. Next, he unclasped her bra and flung it aside before unzipping the back of her skirt and let it drop to the floor. Left only in her kitten heels and panties, Sookie reached forward to undress her Bonded. When he was naked, Eric lifted Sookie by her bottom and carried her to their bed.

"You left my shoes and underwear on," she reminded him.

"You like it when I wait to take off your panties," Eric smirked, gnashing his teeth at her pouting lip, "and those shoes are sexy."

Giggling at his comment, Sookie wrapped her legs around Eric's waist and pulled his head to her own for a kiss. She loved all of the little things he noticed about her. Even without the Bond, he could tell how she felt just by what she chose to wear. He recognized all of her little sexual quirks, such as yanking off her panties in a frenzy or being more aggressive when he shoved her legs apart. He knew when her need for comfort required a hug, kiss, or sex.

"I wish I knew your body as well as you know mine," Sookie spoke against his mouth when she felt his hardening staff press against her pubic bone.

Grinding against her firmly, Eric answered, "You know it better than you think."

Pulling away from his mouth, Sookie gave her Mate a wicked grin, "Because I know to do this?" she asked, letting her hand drift down his back and firmly gliding her nail into the muscle lateral of his spine. Eric's reply was to moan and buck his hips rather roughly against hers.

"That is one reason," Eric nipped at her throat as he began trailing kisses down her body. "Now we will both have to relearn your body. There are going to be all new sensitivities you will experience due to your increased senses. There may be some touches that you do not appreciate as much as you did when you were mortal. There may be some touches that you appreciate more. I wonder…" Eric ghosted his fingertips across her ribs, making Sookie smile and squirm with a giggle. "Oh good, you are still ticklish. I would have missed that!"

"What else will you miss?" Sookie asked softly.

"It does not matter. Regardless of the minimal losses, I have gained far more," he rumbled in her ear.

"I still want to know," she whispered.

Eric sighed and flopped onto his back, pulling his Bonded against his side. "I will miss that first hour we are together after I rise, when your skin and hair smell of sunshine. I will miss being able to feed from you because it means I will have to have someone else inside of me. I will miss the hot dampness of your skin when I have made love to you… As I said, they are all little things, and I will replace them with new ones that I will never lose."

"I'm glad I'm still a little warm," she offered.

Eric smiled softly, "I am glad for that as well."

"Sorry, I keep getting distracted," she laughed, crawling onto his lap, much to his great approval. She ground her damp panties against his stiff member, rocking gently. "Wow," she gasped, "this feels even more amazing."

Grinning up at her, Eric grabbed her hips while flexing his own, pushing that much harder against her. As her bottom lip caught in her teeth, Eric smirked and reached up to release it just as her fangs 'snicked' into place. On instinct, Sookie's hand reached to hide her fangs, but Eric caught it, and held her wrists in his hands.

"No, Dear One," he purred, "let me see my little vampire in pleasure."

Smiling down at him shyly, Sookie continued rocking against his body until Eric let out a low groan, releasing her wrists to savagely rip away her panties. His Bonded moaned at the act of aggressiveness while she raised her thighs enough to sink back down on his rigid length.

A small, "ah!" escaped her as he slid deeply inside and Sookie remained perfectly still atop him while she savored the sensation that left her completely filled. After a moment, her walls trembled around him, and Eric growled almost impatiently. As much as he wished her to explore and learn her body, his frustration was mounting as minutes passed and she had yet to do more than flutter around him in maddeningly minor contractions.

Her Joy and Contentment were enough to stave off his impatience, but after nearly ten minutes, Eric finally abandoned his resolve and rolled Sookie beneath him. When she blinked up at him in confusion, Eric cocked his head and asked, "Dear One, where did you go just now?"

"Go?" she asked blearily.

"You have been sitting with my cock buried in you for nearly a quarter of an hour," he frowned.

"Have I?" she looked at their joined bodies and recoiled in terror. "Oh God!"

"What is it?" he asked, beginning to thrust inside of her.

Sookie stared in horror at the deep wound in her abdomen that had spilled blood. When she looked to Eric's face, wanting to demand to know what was happening, it was not her Bonded's face that met her eyes.

A featureless mask. An un-sculpted mannequin's head tilted down at her. It pointed at her as though staring with its generic brow and cheekbones, casting an endless void of shadows where its eyes should have been. The void sucked her in.

She tumbled into the darkness, spiraling out of control as her throat tightened with a scream that could not ring from her mouth. Empty faces, dead eyes, cold… COLD!

"SOOKIE!" Eric roared, making the newborn vampire snap out of her trance.

Blinking up at her Bonded, Sookie shivered and cried beneath him.

"What happened?" he demanded, and Sookie realized that he was sitting up beside her, leaning over her horizontal form, not actually atop her.

"What happened?" she cried back, realizing bloody tears were running down her face. "I don't know… Where? What happened? How did?"

"Sookie," Eric wiped her face gently, his own eyes stricken with panic.

Before either could utter another word, a loud **POP** sounded and Ludwig was staring at them in alarm.

"I am sorry to come unannounced," Ludwig told them with large, disbelieving eyes, "but my first experiment of the day has forced me to come now."

"What? What happened?" Sookie demanded in a near hysteria, clutching at the teary, bloodstained bedding.

"It is imperative that you _never_ give a human your blood, baby vampire," Ludwig told the newborn.

"What is going on?" Eric snapped. "What did you do to my Bonded?"

"I wanted to see how her blood's magic paralleled yours," Ludwig began to explain, pacing as she stroked her chin purposefully. "Not knowing, I decided to administer a dose on a V addict and drainer who was due to be executed. The effects were terrifying. A mere drop of your Mate's blood rendered the individual near-catatonic and when the high ended, the human suffered immediate and extreme withdrawal symptoms. It was like nothing I have ever seen. I do not even wish to do a second test to gather further information on the matter, but I can hypothesize that your mate's blood is highly addictive to humans. The European Magister immediately dispatched the test subject, so his suffering was short-"

"But vampires can track people who consume their blood!" Sookie wailed.

"This was in Spain, Sookie," Ludwig attempted to calm her. "The quantity of blood I gave him could not have allowed you to track that far."

"Was I feeling _him_? Is that what that… That… That _dream_ was?"

"Dream?" Eric and Ludwig looked at her, both puzzled.

"I don't know," Sookie grabbed her hair and buried her nails in her scalp. "It all felt so real, but it couldn't be real. A mannequin's face. My death blow reopened… And that abyss."

"Calm, little vampire," Ludwig pressed her hand against Sookie's forehead, "Oh my, she's even warmer than last night!"

"Am I all wrong?" Sookie looked at the doctor with blood-rimmed eyes. "Am I not supposed to be a vampire?"

"Shh," Eric pressed his lips to his Bonded's forehead, but peered over it to look at Ludwig worriedly.

"As I said," Ludwig told her, "an individual with as much fairy in them as you has never been turned. However, if you were not meant to be compatible with a vampire transformation, you would not have metamorphosed."

"Are you sure?" Sookie sniffled. "What about those babies who are born with terrible defects and only live for a few hours?"

"I have analyzed your blood, little vampire," Ludwig assured her, "and there is _nothing_ that shows any signs that your general vampiric qualities are incompatible. You are missing a few things. Still, your healing factor appears intact, but-"

"But?" Eric froze.

"There are some…quirks."

"What sort of quirks?" he asked.

Ludwig replied by opening her medical bag and extracting a knife that made Eric instantly recoil, already tasting silver. Without hesitation, Ludwig pressed the belly of the knife against Sookie's forearm. Eric's warning snarl died in his throat when his Bonded did not pull away in pain. "You are immune to silver, but…" She put the knife away and extracted a spoon. She then performed the same action and Sookie jerked back her arm. "You are now sensitive to iron. It will not burn you as badly as a normal fairy, but it will weaken your strength just as a vampire's is weakened by silver and cause mild skin irritation that heals as soon as contact is ended."

"And the blood?" Eric asked. "Have you determined why she does not crave blood?"

Shrugging, the doctor speculated, "It could very possibly be the iron in human blood. The thing that makes the Fae so sweet to vampires is that their blood binds oxygen differently to the cells and tissues and contains no iron. The young one does not have a taste for blood because the iron is unappealing. You could try mixing honey into her drinks to see if it makes it more palatable for her. Many subcategories of fairies live on nothing but honey."

Making a confused face, Eric asked, "Will she be able to withstand it? It is human food."

"It is also fairy food," Ludwig reminded. "This undertaking does not come with an instruction book, Northman. We have to try unorthodox methods to find what works best for this young one you created."

Sookie sat in silence as the pair talked. She knew they were not trying to be rude while they discussed her without acknowledging her presence, but the longer they debated, the more frustrated she became. This frustration did not stem from being ignored, but the realization that she had become a burden.

Eric ended the conversation abruptly when he felt Guilt slipping into the Bond. His eyes quickly turned to his Mate and he quietly asked, "Dear One, are you all right?"

In a hushed tone, Sookie answered, "I'm sorry I couldn't be normal for you. I know you're just gonna say that you'd take me any way you could have me, but I still feel…" She shuddered around an unneeded breath as her throat contracted with sorrow. "I still feel… Like the most impossible creature to love!"

Ludwig watched with compassion as the young vampire allowed her mate to wrap her in his arms while she broke down and cried.

"Sookie," Ludwig drew the girl's attention, "you are not causing any problems here. I have already confirmed your healing factor and immortality are well intact. Those are the two most important things you needed, and you have them. Your Bond is strong and healthy. These things that Northman and I are discussing are trivial, inconsequential even. We are only discussing them for historical background, and so that we can discover the best ways for you to exist comfortably. Wouldn't you like to feed comfortably?"

"I just," Sookie took another breath, nuzzling into the strengthening embrace of her lover, "I just don't want to be a burden…"

"I understand, Little Vampire," Ludwig nodded. "Try focusing on the positive things right now. The most disconcerting aspects have already been assured. Now we just need to unlock the mysteries of how to keep you comfortable. We will try adding honey to blood to see if you can ingest it and keep it down so that the blood will properly nourish you. We will test to see what percentage of iron it takes to weaken you. I would also like to do a UV test on both of you in the next couple of days to see if this fairy heritage has given either of you any resilience to sunlight. Northman, if you could try and resist the sun sometime in the next few mornings, I would like to know how long either of you are able to do so before succumbing to the bleeds."

Eric's face contorted into a sneer, "I would prefer not to subject her to that much discomfort at such an age."

"It's okay, Eric," Sookie assured him. "We would only be uncomfortable for a little bit, right? Then we just stop resisting and pass out?"

Letting out a huff, Eric shook his head, "That may sound simple, but the pain of resisting is nothing to overlook."

"Whatever you want, Darlin'," Sookie patted his hand. "If you think it's too soon, then we'll wait. We got an eternity, right?"

Relaxing at her concession, Eric kissed the top of her head, "That is right, all the time in the world."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review! I love to hear my phone 'Ding' with email alerts! The short little bit of heart racing it brings is probably the only cardio exercise I get.**

 **-Andi**


	22. Chapter 21

Never End

 _A/N: So, would you all like some good news? We are officially going up to two updates a week! Wednesdays and Sundays! As for what time, it depends on my Real Life schedule. Some might be midnights, others might be late afternoons/early evenings like today. Either way, expect two new chapters a week!_

 _As always, thank you to **Msbuffy** for your editing! However, be kind because I did a small rewrite in sections, but I am pretty confident I can adjust a bit of dialogue and add a few sentences without running back to her in tears. Still love ya, **Msbuffy**!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty-One: The Trial**

"I wish there was more time to prepare you for this, Dear One," Eric apologized as he drove them far from the outer fringe of Shreveport toward the bayous.

"It's not anything like a human trial?" Sookie asked curiously.

"Not really. There is no jury, only the Magister and, in this case, the Ancient Pythoness. There are no appeals, only the verdict and the sentencing," he told her.

Sookie shivered at the idea of 'the sentencing.' Looking out at the tree line that zipped by them, she asked, "What will happen tonight?"

"The Overseers of the trial will list the charges. If Sophie-Anne is smart, she will plead guilty, and that will be all."

Sookie frowned, "Why would pleading guilty be smart? Doesn't that mean instant death?"

"It does, for her."

"I don't understand," Sookie admitted.

"The Ancient Pythoness is an Oracle… Really _The_ Oracle," Eric explained. "To be under her direct scrutiny for too long could cause Sophie-Anne to implicate the other members of her plot. If she values the existence of any others who were involved, she will plead guilty and accept her True Death."

Sookie frowned deeper, "Then why have a Magister at all? Why not just use the Ancient Pythoness for _everything_?"

Eric smirked, "She is deeply respected in our community, Dear One. We only bring her out on special occasions. If it were not for the severity of our case, she would not be summoned at all."

"Because of the Bond?"

"And the allegations against a regent as well as the standing of my Maker," Eric told her. "You may call it the unholy trinity of misfortune for Sophie-Anne."

Shaking her head at Eric's jovial mood, Sookie leaned back into her seat and continued gazing out the window until fireflies glittered all around. She knew by their swarms that they were now deep into the swamps.

"Why is it so isolated?" Sookie asked.

"Habit," Eric shrugged. "For so many vampires to gather in one place, and considering the outcome of the trial, it is best to be undisturbed."

"So, what would happen if it _were_ just the Magister presiding?" she asked.

Eric lifted his shoulders once more, "Sophie-Anne would attempt to submit an alibi for her whereabouts of the three days surrounding her attempted assassination of you."

"Why three?" she asked.

"That is the longest amount of time in our recorded history that an order can be implanted in a human's mind without needing to refresh it," he told her, "Sometimes a vampire decides to create progeny and glamours a human to protect the burial site until they rise again. The human served as protection as well as a first meal for the newborn. It was particularly common before the Anatomy Act of 1832 when grave robbers would dig up fresh graves so they could sell the corpses to anatomists."

"Creepy."

"Quite," he agreed.

"So, what if she has an alibi?" Sookie pressed him to continue.

Eric thought for a moment before he admitted, "Then she would have had someone else glamour that rookie who shot you, and then had them use one of her own aliases to make it appear that she was being framed."

Sookie sneered, "Oh, man, I wish you'd let me at her! I would kill to interrogate the pants off this bitch!"

Eric's eyebrows rose as he looked briefly at his mate, "You are rather feisty this evening."

"She practically killed me, Eric! Of course I'm feisty!" she bit back. "I don't like someone getting the drop on me, especially not some scum rat who deals in human trafficking!"

Eric chuckled, "I see!"

"Seriously," she continued, "I've had years of interrogating others without the slightest suspicion of my abilities. Even the Weres didn't suspect a thing."

"That is true. Unfortunately, as I said, with the Ancient Pythoness there, Sophie-Anne would not dare attempt a defense unless she had no regard for her co-conspirators."

"I dunno," Sookie said contemplatively, "she let Grosse take the heat for the trafficking without batting an eyelash. I mean, did she even try and get him leniency?"

"She did not," he confessed.

"What if her game is to incriminate enough vampires that they can't possibly condemn them all?" she told him. "Maybe she's looking to strike a deal."

"Even if she did involve several other vampires, they would be tried separately from her. Their sentencing could even be milder depending on the degree of their involvement. Let us say that a vampire knew that Chlebowski was the perfect subject for the queen's glamour. The vampire who passed on that information would not be sentenced to True Death unless it was revealed that he knew why the officer was being glamoured. Even if he knew that Chlebowski was glamoured with the purpose of murdering an officer, he would not necessarily be sentenced with death unless he knew that the officer was Bonded. It would be up to the accuser to press charges and begin secondary trials in the event he or she wished to see all of those punished to the fullest extent of our laws."

"Crazy," Sookie muttered as she felt the car slow to a coast.

"Besides," Eric continued to inform her, "there is no interrogating between the defense and prosecution in vampire trials. Evidence is submitted directly to the Magister. He is the one who asks the questions."

"Oh," was all she could reply.

"We are here," he told her as the wheels eased to a stop and he smoothly moved the car into park.

Sookie took a deep, unneeded breath while Eric slid out of the car and came to open her door. She accepted his hand hesitantly and blinked through the darkness with ease, spying several high-end vehicles amongst the bayou and fireflies.

"There's so many cars!" she gasped in surprise.

"This is a very big trial," Eric reminded as he led Sookie down some invisible pathway. His steps were so assured that it seemed to the female that the route was marked, but she could not see it herself.

As they came closer to their destination, Sookie's stomach turned at all of the minds she heard. There were nearly fifty vampires gathered in the clearing, one of which would have made goosebumps erupt all over her skin if she were still human. She recognized the internal 'voice' that had echoed in Chlebowski's brain the day she had been shot. She would only need to hear the vampire actually speak to determine if the mind was Sophie-Anne's.

Eric frowned as the seas parted upon their arrival. Confusion flooded him as centering the trial were the seats occupied only by the disinterested and bald Magister, Jorge Alonso de San Diego, and Sophie-Anne. His eyes discretely scanned the crowd, but the Ancient Pythoness was nowhere to be seen. The smirk on the queen's face was all he needed to ascertain that the Oracle would not be attending.

"It appears we are not in for a simple evening, Dear One," Eric told her quietly as they walked down the aisle those attending had formed.

"There's no Ancient Pythoness?" Sookie asked with unease trembling at her lips that she dutifully subdued.

"No, she is not here."

"What do I do if I'm questioned too? I'm really new to vampire law," she said.

"I trust your abilities. I will be by your side the entire time if you should falter," he assured her.

"I got this, Darlin'," she replied firmly, in her element for the first time since becoming a vampire. She had never been a lawyer, but this was not exactly a court room. Sookie knew how to stick to her report when under scrutiny. She was not afraid of the queen's answers in the least. She knew with ninety-nine percent certainty that Sophie-Anne was responsible for her untimely demise. Once the royal opened her mouth, and judging by her smug disposition it would not be very long, Sookie would have the final scrap of confirmation she needed to go after her murderer like a charging bull.

Once the pair met Sophie-Anne in front of the Magister, Sookie's posture went ramrod straight, her expression clinically patient. The queen spoke in a snide, over-confident manner that made Sookie's teeth grind.

"Magister," Sophie-Anne pompously insisted, "I ask that you grant a motion for me to bring a charge of treason against Sheriff Eric Northman and his Mate and for this waste of all our time! This is an obvious attempt to dethrone me and take my crown! This is treason and I demand the highest penalty once I have proven my innocence!"

"Motion heard," Jorge waved his hand impartially. Sookie could not help but acknowledge that the Magister was anything _except_ bored. He was practically vibrating with excitement and though it made her nervous, an intriguing thought amongst the crowd set her at ease.

At Sookie's sudden explosion of confidence, Eric looked down at her in surprise, and then looked at the Magister.

Jorge's eyebrows were raised at Eric's expression, and he looked at the Viking for an explanation.

"Sookie was rather hyper-observant as a human. Now that she is vampire, she is all the more adept at reading body language and facial expressions. I suppose there must be something she sees that reads in our favor," Eric shrugged nonchalantly while internally belittling himself for openly responding to her emotions. Her Confidence had left him staggered, and he had yet to feel that sort of assuredness from her since her rising the previous night. Its sudden presence had yanked away his usual stoic demeanor.

"I see," the Magister eyed the smaller blonde curiously. "I would like to inform you that I interviewed the officer allegedly glamoured to shoot you. There was evidence of a glamour when he was put under my review, but we have no way of knowing who it was that instilled the command. The presence has been duly noted, nonetheless."

"Thank you, Sir," Sookie nodded at him. "Though we can't log it as evidence, your confirmation may sway your opinion as the interview presents more _coincidences._ "

"The interview?" the Magister raised his eyebrows once more toward Eric.

"As you know, Sookie was a police officer. She is merely using the terminology with which she is familiar," Eric responded.

"I see," Jorge chuckled to himself. "Shall we commence the trial, then?"

"Whenever you are ready, Sir," Sookie nodded.

"I like this one, Northman," Jorge commented as he appraised the new vampire. "Confident, respectful without brown nosing… It is good to see a young one of this era who is not a grand disappointment of whining and ignorance." The Magister's eyes swept over the Mated vampiress and Sookie would have blushed if she still could. There was no hunger in his eyes or thoughts, but his blatant appraisal made her feel as though he was seeing something in her that was very private. "A seemingly good choice to raise from the lower race. I look forward to seeing what this new one offers in the future… We will begin in a moment if you wish to prepare her any further."

Pulling his Bonded against his side, Eric kissed the top of her head, sending Comfort. Eric could sense the unease within His Sookie, and he offered both emotional and physical consolations.

 _'Beautiful, confident, and self-controlled. Good for you, Eric!'_

Sookie turned her head toward the thought and saw a young man in the crowd standing beside Pam and another female vampire. The young man had short, brown hair and stone-gray eyes. She stared at him for a moment, seeing a strange shimmer around him and the unidentified blonde girl. Realization struck swiftly and she tilted her head toward the trio.

"The pair by Pam, they are Godric and Emily?" Sookie guessed.

Eric did not need to look where she was staring as he nodded, "Yes."

"They're a cute couple," she offered. When Godric smirked, she realized that everyone had heard her. "Seeing another Bonded couple… I couldn't see the aura we put off in our Bond, but I can see theirs. That shimmer…?"

"Yes, that is what others see when they are looking at us," Eric confirmed.

"It's subtle, but I guess it's obvious when you know what you're looking at," she replied proudly.

"Yes," Eric rasped as he kissed the top of his Bonded's head and turned toward Pam. "You have my documents prepared?" he held out his hand expectantly, receiving a thick envelope that Pam produced from her oversized purse.

"Everything that Roary managed to scrounge up," Pam nodded.

"Roary?" Sookie looked to her Mate curiously.

"An FBI agent based in New Orleans. Pam was very busy last week convincing him to do a server scan for Sophie-Anne's email accounts. She was so persuasive that she managed to get cell phone dumps for Compton, the queen, and all of her progeny. Lorena even came to the trial to force Billy to testify against Sophie-Anne under the condition that we would not prosecute him as well."

Sookie shrugged, "That's fair enough. Other than being a creep, he didn't really _do_ anything to me."

Eric nodded distractedly as he scanned the email printouts, cross-referenced several phone calls and the towers from where they had bounced, and compared them to copies of the moving violation committed by Sophia Cesira.

Satisfied, Eric took the envelope to Jorge and handed it over. "These are documents collected by my progeny over the last week. Unfortunately, the cell phone records are not as incriminating as I had hoped.

A list of phone numbers generated the week I Bonded with Sookie was compiled. It was reduced by confirmed registrations, and then reduced further by incoming and outgoing calls that were deemed benign or related to drug dealing. Fifteen phones were unable to be determined, but only three were purchased at the same location, the same day and at the same time. Two of those burner phones were used in proximity to the Area 1 estate judging by the tower from which they bounced. The third phone transmitted from Shreveport several times earlier this week. The emails I have in my possession imply that the Queen had deadly interests toward my Bonded prior to the appearance of these numbers," Eric told the Magister as he quickly skimmed his eyes across the papers.

"Is Bill Compton present?" the Magister called.

"I am, Sir," Bill wove through the throng of vampires to the center of the trial.

"These correspondence suggest that you knowingly and willingly conspired to murder a human police officer," Jorge accused.

"Yes, Sir," Bill nodded gravely. "The plan was to not allow any connection be made to vampires. However, once I witnessed that Northman and Stackhouse had Bonded, I abandoned my mission."

The Magister nodded disinterestedly before pushing the papers back into the envelope and thrusting them into the waiting hands of his attendant. Turning to Sophie-Anne, Jorge asked, "What damages were caused that you felt compelled to end the life of a police officer and further, to risk a war with the two-natured community?"

Swallowing hard, Sophie-Anne attempted to explain her defense, "She was unable to be glamoured. I feared that a young one would take her life if they found they could not glamour her. To protect the vampire community from war with the Weres, I put out a commission for execution to Bill Compton."

"Your Bonded could not be glamoured as a human?" the Magister asked of Eric, his face suspicious.

"She could not," Eric replied.

Jorge looked prepared to inquire further, but his interest quickly waned, and he returned his attention on Sophie-Anne and demanded, "And when she Bonded?"

"I backed off just as swiftly as Compton had," Sophie-Anne declared.

Sookie clenched her teeth at the defendant's claim.

"Tell me why one of your very well-known aliases is listed on this moving violation just two evenings before Sookie Stackhouse was shot and turned?" Jorge pressed.

"It is an obvious ploy to incriminate me," Sophie-Anne shrugged. "Someone forged documents with my alias and glamoured a cop to shoot Stackhouse. If I had wanted the ugly beast truly dead, I would have ordered a head shot."

Sookie frowned at the Queen's comment, wondering why Sophie-Anne had _not_ ordered an instant kill.

"That would have been impressive," Eric countered. "A potentially fatal wound is much easier to convince someone to do than a kill shot. I doubt anyone could have glamoured an officer to take such extreme measures." Turning to the Magister, the Viking offered, "It is obvious that she is attempting to make us accept this as truth. She is trying to play the role of the victim."

"Prove it!" Jorge snapped. "With the grievous nature of the crime of which you are accusing your Regent, I want no doubt in the minds of those attending that her True Death is warranted. If you cannot prove your claims, well… You have wasted your time and your Mate's when you bothered to bring her over."

Sophie-Anne grinned smugly as Eric scowled.

Sookie pushed forward awkwardly and bowed her head to the Magister, "Magister," she requested nervously, "have I, Eric, or any of our Bloodline stood anywhere near Sophie-Anne or her progeny?"

Jorge's brow furrowed at the strange question, but he replied, "You have not."

"Please, dial the numbers of the suspected burner phones," she implored.

There were murmurs through the crowd when the Magister took out his phone and began dialing the highlighted numbers on the submitted evidence. After two "no longer in service" messages, a trilling sound was suddenly heard throughout the dark and still swamp, making all eyes turn to a small brunette vampiress whose body stood rigid and frozen among the crowd.

The Magister smirked, "This just got interesting. Bring her here," he demanded. "Who might you be?"

"Veronica," the small vampire squeaked under the overseer's scrutiny.

"She is not one of Sophie-Anne's progeny," Eric mumbled under his breath to Sookie who stood her ground.

"Why do you have that phone?" he asked with a warmth that would not thaw the ice in his eyes.

Veronica cowered behind her huge head of hair that practically eclipsed her slight body while she cried out, "Mercy, please!"

"Tell me why you have that phone!" Jorge bellowed.

"It was mailed to me a week ago," Veronica hiccupped as bloody tears streamed down her face. Sookie's heart ached as she realized that Veronica was the Child of Michael Grosse. It was obvious how she had been recruited by Sophie-Anne.

"Before the shooting," Jorge waved his hand impatiently.

"There was a note that said, 'If you want him free, call the number in the contact list.'" she continued nervously. "So I called and…" Veronica's eyes glanced to the Queen's vehement glare before she blabbed, "Sophie-Anne ordered me to find someone who could shoot Stackhouse during the day. I found a cop who had a really big crush on her. I began glamouring two nights in a row to increase his obsession with Stackhouse so that when he was given the order to kill, it would be easier for him to accept the command due to his fixation on her."

"Did you know that Stackhouse was Bonded at that time?" Jorge demanded.

"N-no!" she wailed. "I had no idea. I've just always been exceptional at glamouring, and Sophie-Anne promised that she'd get my Master freed if I helped get rid of the detective that put him in prison! I just wanted my Maker back!"

"Can you prove that Sophie-Anne is the one who sent you that phone?" Jorge demanded.

"I still have the envelope. It was sent from New Orleans… and I saved a voicemail she left me as collateral," Veronica testified.

"Play it," Jorge commanded, looking strangely excited. Sookie realized that all of the drama was entertaining him.

Fumbling with the phone, Veronica punched in the password, and then pressed the speaker button so all of the attendees could listen and hear clearly.

" _You know better than to not answer this phone,"_ the unmistakable voice of Sophie-Anne echoed throughout the crowd, _"I expect progress to have been made by the time you return my call."_

An automated voice chimed after the call ended:

" _To replay this message, press 2, to delete this message press 7, to dial this number, press 8-"_

"Press 8," Jorge instructed.

Veronica followed her orders quickly.

" _Dialing, (504) 555-8264… We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected…."_

"And that would be the number of the second burner phone previously submitted into evidence," Jorge smirked, "which just so conveniently happened to spend a great deal of time in New Orleans the week prior to Stackhouse's murder, and then bounced off a tower in Shreveport two nights prior to the shooting." The Magister actually laughed. "My, my," he shook his head, obviously delighted. "Sophie-Anne, you seem to have been caught!" Looking at Sookie now, he asked, "How did you know Veronica still had her phone?"

Smiling, Sookie replied, "She was clutching her bag rather tightly and her eyes would stray toward it every so often. I knew she was either hiding something or she was debating about turning over evidence."

"Why did you suspect it was a phone?" the Magister pressed.

Sookie shrugged in a deceptively nonchalant manner, "It was the only means of communication we had suspicions of between the queen and her co-conspirator. I took a stab in the dark that it was one of the burner phones."

"A detective's gut instinct?" he sneered at the notion.

"Experience," Sookie responded. "Vamps have quick and subtle body language, but I can still see it. I actually handled a few contract hits as a human detective, Sir. Mind you, this was one of the more sophisticated ones I've seen. Mostly it's gangbangers that get hired 'round these parts for a kill job, but Veronica did exactly what any one of them would have done. She made sure she got collateral on her buyer. You know what makes catchin' y'all hard though? Most of what you buy and sell for a hit has nothing to do with money. Money's easy to track, even when you use multiple accounts. Vamps trade things humans can't detect, vendettas, favors, allegiances… That's gonna take me a while to get used to."

"It would seem that since you have proven your case, you will have that opportunity," Jorge announced. "Attendees!" he addressed the crowd, "I rule that Sophie-Anne Leclerq is guilty of the attempted murder of another vampire's Bonded, causing a well-respected ancient serious grief and losses. The penalty for this abhorrent offense is True Death. Is this fair!? Is this just!?" he demanded from the crowd.

Sookie held her breath as an affirming roar came from the crowd, drowning out the few protests over the extreme repercussions.

The Magister turned toward Eric and asked, "Are you ordering the eradication of the Leclerq Bloodline, or will you be satisfied with the final death of Sophie-Anne?"

Eric's gaze hardened at the question. "When have you known me to be _compassionate_?" he hissed.

Sookie glanced up at her Bonded with widened eyes that he deliberately ignored. While she looked at him, a skirmish took place in her peripheral vision when Sophie-Anne's three progeny attempted to flee and several of the trial's attendants were forced to apprehend them.

The young vampire tried desperately to keep her emotions in check, not wanting to burden her Bonded with her terror. _A face_ , she reminded herself, _a face he wears when he is Sheriff. This is vampire law, Stackhouse. Eric knows what he's doing!_

"And the co-conspirator?" the Magister grinned with delight once the Leclerq Line was restrained.

Sookie's hand tightened in Eric's, and despite the attempts she made to rein in her prayers for mercy, her Bonded could still sense the Pleading.

"I will not hold her accountable for the attempt on my Bonded. Veronica was unaware of Sookie's status. I do not seek to condemn her," Eric announced, and Sookie heard resounding relief in the minds of several Area 5 vampires. Their Sheriff may be ruthless, but not unreasonable. For a moment, Sookie wondered if Eric had spared Veronica for Sookie's sake, or to allay an uprising in his own Area.

"My existence is yours, Sheriff," Veronica bowed her head meekly.

"Yes," Eric agreed monotonously. Dread settled in Sookie's chest at her Bonded's cold reply. His inflection sounded almost hateful, making the telepath wonder if this truly was a favor.

"Finally," the Magister seemed petulant over Eric's show of mercy, "how do you side on William Compton and his conspiracy with the Queen?"

"As much as I detest the weasel, to hold him accountable where I did not hold Veronica would be a personal grudge, not a just cause. I submit that he be pardoned," Eric declared.

There was another murmuring of approval with which Sookie half-heartedly agreed. She did not like Bill Compton, but there had been many people for whom she did not advocate as a police officer.

"If that is your decision, then the execution of the Leclerq Line will commence," Jorge gestured for his attendants to bring the four vampires before him. "Do you wish to carry out the sentencing yourself, Northman?" he offered.

"As much as I wish, killing Sophie-Anne would make me the new King of Louisiana. I have no desire to rule," Eric explained while declining, "Sookie, do you wish to end her existence? You are too young to be Regent," he suggested.

"I'm an officer, not an executioner," Sookie stated flatly, hoping that her revulsion was not evident in her eyes. Eric automatically reached to stroke her hair in a soothing gesture.

"Such a loving gesture," Jorge smirked at Eric. "I'm intrigued, really," he defended with feigned respect, "as to what could tame the ruthless Viking. Seeing your meek Mate, well, I suppose it answers my question."

"Everything I have needed to prove this evening has been accounted for, Sir," Sookie began in a husky tone. "I feel no compulsion to display my fortitude as well."

Jorge shrugged, unimpressed with her words, "I am merely stating that you are rather domesticated for a newborn. Did my statement imply otherwise?" he challenged.

With a strained smile, Sookie responded, "No, Sir. Forgive me, I'm getting thirsty."

After that comment, Sookie crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath, wishing the action could still even out her emotions the way it once had. Dealing with her emotions was far more difficult as a vampire. There were no biological responses to distract her from anxiety or fear; no racing heart to subdue or labored breathing to even out. All there were now were the emotions and lacking physical reactions that were born of instincts, instincts that humans knew to follow without question.

"Jana," the Magister nodded at a small, fierce looking vampiress, "carry out the sentencing."

Swiftly, unceremoniously even, Jana strode down the line of the four restrained vampires awaiting execution. Jana's movements were as swift as viper strikes. Her arm moved almost imperceptibly fast, and then a pile of sinew and blood slopped to the ground.

Sophie-Anne wept in grief and rage as each of her progeny were reduced to bloody masses until Jana stood before her.

"Goodbye, Your Majesty," Jana grinned toothily before executing the Queen of Louisiana.

Sookie's fangs popped when Sophie-Anne splashed to the ground, and the Magister grinned at the fledgling's reaction, "Finally!" he exclaimed, roaring with laughter as Sookie buried her mouth in her hand, "A reasonable response from your Mate!"

Eric's hand continued soothing his Bonded's hair. The Magister was mistaken as to the cause of Sookie's displayed fangs. She was not aroused by the carnage, she was terrified. Eric could feel Vulnerability welling up inside of her, and he tried to send Comfort through the Bond, only to hit a wall. Sookie was accustomed to policing her expression, but her fangs were not a reaction she knew how to control.

"Trial concluded and sentencing carried out," Jorge announced. "This case is closed."

Turning toward his Bloodline, Eric lead Sookie to meet his Maker. "Dear one, this is Godric and Emily," he introduced.

The slight, blonde vampiress smiled kindly at Sookie, "How about we go to Fangtasia and find you a donor, Hun?" Emily suggested sweetly after looking into the younger vampiress' wide eyes.

"Yeah, sure," Sookie replied coolly while she was lead out of the bayou and back to Shreveport.

It was time to finally meet the in-laws.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	23. Chapter 22

Never End

 _A/N: Happy Sunday, Everyone! Greatest thanks to **Msbuffy** for the editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty-Two: Family Dynamics**

"Yes," Godric leaned back in his booth at Fangtasia after carefully examining Sookie's wide-eyed face, "very pretty." A lazy smile tugged at the head of the Bloodline's lips as he folded his hand in his lap and draped his other arm over Emily's shoulders, "And that control! I have never seen anything like it!"

"Thank you, Sir," Sookie replied bashfully at the scrupulous examination Godric, Emily, and even Pam were giving her.

"I could not help but notice that she is a bit warm…?" Godric continued.

"Her genealogy has brought a few variations in her transformation," Eric explained, causing Sookie to look up at him uneasily. Was her Bonded going to keep her fairy heritage and advanced telepathy between the two of them, or was he merely waiting for complete privacy before divulging their secret?

"I see," Godric did not seem pressed for further knowledge. "Sookie," he addressed her gently, "how are you holding up? Pamela told Emily and I about the circumstances surrounding your metamorphosis. My condolences for such a terrifying experience."

Sookie squared her shoulders, "I'm doin' quite well, Sir. Thank you," she announced, making Godric smile sadly at her.

"Are you going to file assault charges against your brother?" Emily asked.

Shaking her head, Sookie placed her chin in her upturned palm, "No. I told my Captain to let it go." Eric's Disapproval in the Bond made Sookie take his hand and squeeze it comfortingly.

"You do not need to put up such walls with your Bloodline, Young One," Godric encouraged her, concerned by her levity toward such a complicated situation.

The former officer's face remained politely blank despite the familial way he spoke an affectionate pet name. If her heart could still beat, it would have constricted. Familial…

She wondered how Jason was doing, if he still hated her. The young vampire worried that she would never see him again, despite only being an hour away from Bon Temps. When would be an appropriate time to check on him? Would he detest her even more if she returned to him now as a vampire rather than just leaving him in the appalling denial that she had gone through with turning?

" _Better her dead for good than becoming a soulless fanger!"_ still echoed painfully in her head. Her own brother wished for her death. He would rather be alone in the world than share it with his vampire sister.

 _Concern._

"I'm fine," Sookie whispered at her Bonded's prodding. "I just need a drink."

"I'll get it," Emily responded in a cheery way that Sookie found strangely comforting.

Watching the petite blonde skip toward the bar for a TrueBlood, Sookie could not help but feel like she reminded her of someone. When Emily returned with the bottle, that same sweet, unassuming disposition, Sookie realized of whom Emily evoked memories.

Hadley.

That smile which was a mask of unspoken secrets, hidden concerns, and dark, dark memories. No one could ever know her pain.

Sookie knew that her musings only drew the comparisons between Hadley and Emily because her brain was fixated so intently on family. Her throat tightened as she played with the bottle, not drinking. A pitying thought had flitted through Emily's mind, and Sookie did not have the energy to ignore it.

"Just say it, please," Sookie whispered.

"Say what?" Emily asked sweetly.

"I know that face. That's the face of 'something I'm not saying,' and I can't relieve concerns when I don't know what they are," Sookie appealed.

Emily's spine straightened at Sookie's gloomy expression. "It's nothing _bad_ , Hun," she assured. "We're just all worried about you is all."

"Why?" Sookie played with her bottle, still not drinking from it.

"Let's not pretend that Pam hasn't been keeping Godric and I informed about you. We know so much about you already. Your home life, your isolation, your pride. It's not unlikely that pride of yours would make you withdraw from those around you, and we don't want that for Eric. He cannot be happy unless you are," Emily explained.

"You're worried I'm going to draw him into a spiral of depression?" Sookie asked.

"To be direct, yes."

"This really is not necessary," Eric defended. "It is reasonable for her to be unhappy with the circumstances. This is not at all what we had planned. It has only been two evenings. She needs more time."

"I am unhappy," Sookie murmured, "but not about being a vampire, not even about my career falling to pieces. I love Eric, and the Bond _does_ make me extremely happy. I'm scared, I'm confused, and I don't like any of that one bit. I'm sorry I can't be the lovey-dovey newlywed ya'll would expect, but I just can't right now. I miss my Gran… I miss my brother… I miss _my_ family, and I don't even know why! I'd gotten to say goodbye to her a hundred times, always wondering if it was the last time, now I'll never die and get to see her in heaven. That's okay, I chose Eric. I finally got to make a real choice for myself, and I don't doubt that decision. I just really miss my family," she concluded sadly.

Godric nodded solemnly at her confession before speaking in a soft, respectful tone, "I suppose Emily and I are concerned over the radical difference between our Bonds."

"Can you feel me?" Sookie asked.

"Yes, you are my progeny's creation, and I can feel you just as I can Pamela. However, I cannot sense you as easily as I do Eric."

Sookie nodded slowly, understanding from where the concerns were stemming. She and Eric did not have the same temperaments that Godric and Emily experienced after their first rising as a Bonded couple.

"That is not to say we are a fair comparison," Emily blurted. "We didn't have nearly the trauma that you two did!"

"I just need time," Sookie assured quietly, almost hesitantly, before finally taking a sip of blood and restraining a cringe.

For a moment, Sookie wished she still needed to use the bathroom just for an excuse to escape the group. A small reprieve from their concerned expressions and doubts would be a godsend for her, but she knew it was wishful thinking. Instead, she let her mind wander into the thoughts of the Fangtasia patrons.

Sookie's back straightened when she heard a thought that impulsively made her scan the room. "Addict," she announced under her breath to Eric. "Brunette, 5'4", red tank, black pants. She's got a 'hunter' look about her. Might be a drainer."

Eric's eyes quickly swept over the room to spot the short, brown-haired woman his Mate had pinpointed. Immediately he was out of his seat and in pursuit.

"Old habits?" Emily teased the detective.

"It's more of a way of life than a habit," Sookie replied, watching her Bonded intently as he snuck up on the woman, disarming her with his stunning appearance and glamouring her to follow him.

"You are stunningly perceptive," Godric praised. "To see so much, it must be tedious?"

"Very," Sookie agreed, confused that Godric and Emily did not seem to know about her telepathy. Had Pam not told them of her quirk? Why not?

There was a brief temptation to pry into their thoughts intentionally, but Sookie quickly suppressed it. Godric and Emily were her family now, and she would extend the same courtesy to them as she had to Gran and Jason.

She ached at the thought of her late grandmother and her estranged brother as they quickly raced through her mind. How long would it be that even the most fleeting memory of them would bring her nothing but such consuming sadness?

"Mistress," Pam's voice was sharp, and Sookie quickly shot back to attention, "did you hear Master Godric?"

"Oh," Sookie searched, trying to regain her center, "sorry, I must have wandered in my head again. It's scary easy to do that now. I don't remember ever being so distracted."

"It is understandable," Godric assured. "Young ones are quite prone to drifting in and out of attention."

"What was your question?" Sookie asked shyly.

"Do you have plans for yourself now that you are vampire?" Godric asked again.

"Well, I don't know much about the process for reinstating new vamps to the force, assuming they'll have me. Vamps aren't usually allowed in the interview rooms because defense attorneys _love_ to presume reasonable doubt on the grounds of possible glamour or witness tampering," she explained. "I guess we could use the earwig and I could have a human officer doing the interrogations while I remain in the observation room."

"You plan to return to law enforcement?" Emily asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Sookie nodded. "It's where my heart is, but I don't know if we can swing it. I don't want Eric a hot mess all the time, worrying about me."

"I was thinking," Eric announced, returning to their table, "that you might wish to travel?"

"Travel?" Sookie cocked her head curiously.

"Yes, it would give you a chance to adjust while not feeling examined by those around you."

"What about my dogs? We can't travel with them on top of dying for the day," Sookie reminded him.

"We could leave them with that shifter again. He seemed to really enjoy their company," Eric offered.

Sookie began to object, but froze on her words when she realized what her Bonded was trying to accomplish. Separation. Eric was trying to create distance between her and the dogs. They would not live forever, and their time with her would seem even more brief now that she was immortal.

"Eric," she whispered, "are you trying to prepare me for not having them anymore?"

His jaw tightened then he admitted, "I am." He had hoped that she would not perceive his intentions, but he reprimanded himself for his timing.

Her face fell immediately and Sookie could feel and see the red liquid building in her eyes, "I'm not ready."

"All right," his voice was gentle like a soft blanket offered to keep the cold at bay. "I am sorry that I suggested it."

"You're just trying to help me," she said, choking back her tears.

"I really am," he softly kissed her temple.

"I know it would be easier to give them to Sam or Trent, and walk away for a decade, pretending they were still out there running, but I don't want that. I don't want to abandon them when they were the only ones who stuck with me through my peak isolation. How can I say I ever cared for them, that I ever loved them, if I dumped them off on someone else just so it would be easier on _me_?" Sookie shook her head, causing the welling blood tears in her eyes to trickle down her cheeks. "I will love them forever for keeping me alive inside, for letting me love someone without worry or hesitation. If it weren't for them, I couldn't have fallen in love with you." 

"Do not say that, Sookie," Eric ran his thumb along the red river marring her face.

"But it's true!" she sobbed, feeling sick and self-conscious for crying so publicly. It went against her very nature to allow others to see her weak like this, but the emotion was beyond her control. The dam of her sorrow was breaking, and the thought of leaving her beloved companions behind broke the final shreds of her willpower that contained the flood, "They were my lifeline, they let me love freely, and if I hadn't had that, I would have been a husk by the time you met me."

It did not matter that her claims were empty in Eric's eyes. Sookie truly believed she would not be the woman he loved if not for her canine counterparts. Rather than argue, Eric smiled and brushed away the other trail of crimson, "Then we will enjoy their remaining years together."

"Thank you," Sookie sighed, reining in her emotional outburst.

"Are these actual dogs?" Godric asked quietly of Pam.

"Yes, German Shepherds," Pam answered just as quietly. "She is unreasonably attached to them, but they are very good dogs. I have met them a few times and they are remarkably well trained."

Emily's brow knit as she watched the newborn across the table.

"What is it, my love?" Godric asked of his Mate, sensing her concern.

After a moment of contemplation, Emily replied with a soft smile, "Nothing, Sweetheart. Just trying to suss out our newest family member."

Godric shook his head wryly at her remark, "I think she will be remarkable for him."

"Absolutely," Emily agreed quickly. "All of this time you've felt him growing toward this, and to see them together is very reassuring. Even with all of the hardship, oh, Godric, I'm so happy for all of us!"

 _All of us?_ Sookie latched on to that final remark, wanting to resist when Eric began to pull her away from the table.

"Shall we return home now, Sookie?" Eric asked gently.

Snapping out of her curiosity, Sookie gave her Bonded a short nod and was lead out of the club.

"What did she mean by "all of us?" Sookie asked once they were in the car and driving back home.

Eric glanced at his Mate, recalling the conversation, and finally smiled, "Happiness for one is happiness for all in a Bloodline. Emily was merely remarking that she understands that even though we are encountering rough spots early on, we are still very happy. In turn, we are all happy."

"Oh," Sookie could not help but feel as though there was more to the comment, but she brushed it aside.

"I am sorry that the conversation brought you sorrow, especially when Mags and Junes were discussed," Eric apologized softly.

"I understood where you were coming from. I only hope you understand where _I_ am coming from," Sookie responded just as quietly.

"I do," he assured. "I still believe travel would be good for you," he continued. "Perhaps we could stay in the continental US? Maybe go up North?"

Sookie pondered this a moment, "I've never seen snow before."

"You would look beautiful in the snow," he whispered.

"The nights are longer there too, right?" Sookie asked.

"It depends on where we go," he explained. "The most noticeable area would be the Arctic Circle."

"That seems a bit too extreme," Sookie scrunched her nose with disapproval. "Too isolated, I'd get bored."

"You would get bored with me in a matter of three months?" Eric asked with a playfully wounded expression and tone.

Sookie pouted at what she had implied, " _No_ , but what would we do for three months of nearly endless night?"

"I can think of many things," Eric purred matter-of-factly, his hand trailing up from her knees toward her thigh. Lips pursing to attempt hiding her amusement, Sookie brushed his hand away, silently telling him she wanted further convincing. "We could go to Alaska," he continued, placing his hand back on her knee and giving it a squeeze. "Drive north with Mags and Junes, stopping as we needed to until arriving in the Seward Peninsula where I will have already had a vacation home built for us by the time we arrived."

"So, road trip?" Sookie laughed.

"Have you ever been on one?" Eric asked, tracing small symbols into her kneecap.

"Darlin', the only road trip I've ever been on is the one between Bon Temps and Shreveport."

"You have not even been to New Orleans?" he asked with surprise.

"Nope," she confessed.

"How does my plan sound to you?"

"Interesting," she smiled, placing her hand over his and squeezing it, "but how in the world would we make that work for the dogs?"

"I can glamour a handler at the locations we are forced to take rest in. They will take care of the dogs until we rise and can leave for the evening."

"I don't like the idea of forcing people to take care of them," Sookie admitted.

"It is the way we have done things a long time now, Dear One," Eric assured.

Sookie sighed, "I suppose it's as good a plan as any to spend the first year of being a vamp. I can't even reapply to the police department during my first year."

"You plan to return to the force?" Eric tried to sound supportive, but the Bond betrayed his Concern.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Maybe a year off will give you some perspective on your wants and needs," he consoled.

"Maybe," she bowed her head in thought. "Any chance I can swing over to my Gran's place?"

Eric glanced at the mile marker and replied, "I can turn around at the next exit-"

"No, I mean just me," she continued, staring at her knees. "I want to see her again, and I want to walk through the house…"

"I see," Eric took his hand from her knee and placed it on the steering wheel.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"You know that I am not," he answered sharply.

"You're frustrated," she accused.

"Not with you," he assured.

"Then what?"

"Myself, our circumstances, this. All of this," he waved his hand in an all-encompassing gesture.

"I'm sorry I can't wrap it all up yet," Sookie replied quietly, on the verge of tears again.

"Please, do not cry again," Eric beseeched.

"I can't help it," she tried to brush away the crimson tears, only managing to make herself appear more gruesome.

"Do you really wish to visit Bon Temps without me?" Eric asked.

"I do," she choked back tears once more.

"Then we will return to the house and you can take your own car," he told her. "You need to pick up the key and code anyway."

"You're mad at me," she sobbed.

"I am NOT mad at you!" Eric roared.

Shrinking back into her seat, the pair remained silent for the duration of the drive back to the house. When they arrived, Sookie slunk into the house to retrieve the new key to her Gran's home and the security system code. She watched painfully as Eric stormed past her and slammed the door to the den.

"Mags, Junes," Sookie squeaked at the dogs, calling them to follow her to her Toyota. The dogs quickly took to her heels and the three drove into the darkness to Bon Temps. "Why am I acting so completely imbalanced?" she asked her dogs as she pulled off the highway.

Junes whined at the inquiry, licking Sookie's jaw comfortingly from the backseat.

"I want so much to just accept the cards I was dealt," she told them. "I want that so much, but everything hurts. Why does it hurt so much?" Junes placed her face on Sookie's shoulder as Mags anxiously circled several times in the backseat. "Great, now I'm upsetting you guys too!"

Pulling up to the cemetery, Sookie stepped out, her dogs trailing in her starlit shadow.

"Hey, Gran, I'm back. Shoot, I forgot flowers again," she grumbled. "Sorry, I've never been good about those things…"

The young vampire sat down in the dewy grass, her dogs flopping on either side of her as they curled up before the headstone. "I'm really screwing up so many things right now," Sookie began. "I ran so fast into Eric when we first met. I grabbed him and ran with him. Now that we're 'forever,' I'm getting cold feet… Everything changed so fast, Gran!" she exclaimed. "I went from so much isolation I thought I'd go nuts to constant company. It's nice, but strange. Well, different, not strange. No, definitely strange," Sookie committed to her first response. "I just wish I knew what I was doing," she confessed. "I wish you could tell me what to do, Gran. I really need someone to point me in the right direction again. I feel like I'm still underground and I don't know which way the sky is. I don't know which way to dig…"

Standing up, Sookie called her dogs to follow her up to the farmhouse on the hill. When she arrived at the door of her childhood home, she unlocked it, and turned off the security system. Her dogs jumped up on the sheet covered sofa, making themselves comfortable while Sookie wandered the narrow hallways.

Even with her new sensitivity to sound, the noise of that familiar truck was still the same. The way the gravel crunched under its tires and the engine rattled slightly out of time when it idled were key indicators that Jason Stackhouse had pulled up to the house. Mags and Junes promptly jumped off the couch to greet the wayward brother.

"Figured y'all wouldn' stay away long," Jason's voice was harsh as he flung open the screen door and entered the house. Contrary to his vehemence, he still scratched and petted the dogs as they danced at his feet.

"I'm havin' a real bad night, Jason," Sookie cried as her accent automatically thickened as it only did anymore around her brother. "I really can't deal with ya hollerin' tonight."

Jason snorted, "Ya think I give a shit if it's convenient fer ya? What the fuck you think I owe ya anyways?"

"Nothing," Sookie flung her arms in the air. "You owe me nothing. Hopefully you know that goes both ways by now."

"Listen, I just wanna git my shit outta here. Couldn' do that while you was underground cause them lawyers had the cops watchin' the place til ya got dug up. Then I come up here day after, an' the locks was changed, an' there's a new security system," Jason sneered at her audacity to keep him from taking what was his.

"I just did that to protect the things that weren't yours," Sookie defended her actions. "You were real angry at me the day I died."

"I still am real fuckin' angry at ya," Jason snapped. "Why the fuck didn't ya tell me Gran was dead!?"

"I was _shot_!" Sookie shouted. "I just found out about Gran, Trent was gonna drive me home so I could calm down t' call ya in private, and I was fucking SHOT on the way out the station! I almost died that morning and was only saved by the fact Eric sent me to work with his blood. If you hadn't screamed at me and hit me, I might not be a vampire right now! I might still be alive and have had more time to come to grips with what I was gonna become in the future! I might have been able to stay on the force! I might have got to actually enjoy _living_ for a little while longer after twenty-five years of being a shell."

"You was the one who chose it," Jason gestured to her transformed body.

"But I never chose this!" Sookie pointed to her head. "I _never_ chose this. This… And now I don't even know what to do with it anymore. What can I do with it _now_? I can't be a police officer anymore, Jason! I can't be the one thing that made sense; that gave it a purpose."

"Yeah, well," Jason scratched his head uncomfortably, and looked away from her, "sounds like a pro'lem," Shouldering past her, he headed upstairs to his old bedroom. "It sounds like _yer_ pro'lem."

Sookie watched his back as he ascended the staircase, longing to just reach out and hug her brother again like when they were teenagers. When no one was looking, and he could just be Jason, her big brother, when no one could see that the star QB actually loved the little sister he made fun of in public.

"I deserved so much more than you," Sookie whispered to herself as she crumpled onto the floor of the living room and cried softly to herself until he left without a single acknowledgement.

There was a puddle of bloody teardrops in her lap by the time her distress was interrupted again.

"Oh, now this is just something else," Pam's voice caused Sookie's tears to stutter to an abrupt halt, and she blinked up in surprise at the blonde. Wiping at the evidence of her breakdown, Pam merely shook her head at the attempt. "You don't have normal tears anymore. They're going to betray you every time now."

"I just can't stop," Sookie sobbed.

"So I see," Pam nodded, and went toward the kitchen to dampen a rag, which she used to scrub the blood off the youngling's face.

"Why are you here?" Sookie sniffled.

"Eric sent me."

"Of course he did," Sookie accepted the towel and continued to blot at tears that kept welling.

"You have had a very tough evening," Pam shrugged. "Between last night, and tonight with the added bonus of super vampire emotions, we all anticipated a break."

"Eric's mad at me still? That's why he sent you?" Sookie stammered.

Pam sighed, "He has not been mad at you once in your entire life."

"Then why did you come and not him?" Sookie asked.

"Because _despite_ the fact you can feel _everything_ he feels; you are still adamant that he is angry with you!" Pam flung her arms in exasperation. "Why do you think everyone is mad at you!? Why can't they just be concerned or worried?"

"You're mad at me!" Sookie pointed out.

"You're damn right I am! Eric is a mess with you like this, and you seem hell bent on prolonging his suffering."

"I'm not trying to!" Sookie protested.

"Then snap out of it, clean up your face, change your clothes, and fake it 'til you make it, Missy!" Pam ordered. "If you keep dwelling, of course you'll stay sad. Instead, focus on him. Focus on fun. Focus on eternity. Your dumb-ass brother will be dead in a few decades, sooner if I get my way, and he won't be able to hurt you anymore!"

"That's not what I want," Sookie dabbed at another red river.

"You have been living a harsh life for how long, Missy? Did you really think you'd come here tonight and have some grand reconciliation?" Pam demanded.

"No."

"Then what were you expecting?" she stomped her thinly heeled foot.

"Closure."

"Did you get it?" Pam's posture relaxed as she understood.

"Less than I wanted, more than I expected," Sookie told her. "I think I needed a verbal scrap to find out what I was holding in." Sookie laughed bitterly as she spat, "Ironic, right? I'm stronger, faster and heal quicker than lightning, but I've never felt more vulnerable and weak than I ever did as a human. You know what the icing on the cake is? I'm a telepath who can't figure out what she's thinking."

"Did that verbal scrap shake anything loose?" Pam pressed, ignoring the following confessions Sookie had made. Those were problems for Eric to handle with his Bonded. Pam's mission was to stabilize the young vampire enough so that she would come home. It annoyed the older progeny that Eric would not just use his Maker's Command to force his Bonded back home, but she understood that Sookie needed to come back from her break down as naturally as possible.

"My career as an officer is over," Sookie took a shuddering breath. "What made it the outlet I needed is no longer applicable. Vampire officers can only work vampire crimes, and I'm far too young to be any sort of officer in that department. Even if I _could,_ I'd be putting myself, my Bonded, and my Bloodline in too great a danger. It's a pointless venture."

"What else did you find out tonight?" Pam asked, coming to sit on the couch, her face a mask of disinterest, despite the inquiry.

"I'm really sad," she admitted the dark secret aloud. "I wasn't ready for this. All I feel is sadness and guilt, and knowing that's hurting Eric only makes it worse. I know he feels responsible, and it's not his fault. It's not his burden, and I'm making him shoulder it."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Pam nudged her.

Looking up toward the ceiling, Sookie took a deep breath and replied, "I'm going to go try to figure out what there is for me."

"Did you ever wonder," Pam began, "what it is you would have done if you were never a telepath?"

"No," Sookie answered.

"Maybe you should."

Sookie continued staring at the ceiling a moment longer before rising from the floor. "We should be heading back to Shreveport. I don't want Eric worrying if I push it too close to dawn."

Realizing that the conversation was over, Pam merely nodded and walked out the front door. Sookie ushered her dogs out the entry way and armed the security system. As she locked and closed the door behind her, she stood a beat longer than needed before shutting that front door for the last time.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: In case anyone is wondering: No, there are no** _ **accidental**_ **spelling errors in Sookie and Jason's dialogue. Even though it looks like it in some places, I promise they were intentional. I guarantee it was thoroughly edited and re-read. I apologize to any English as a second language readers if Jason's dialogue was especially difficult to understand, but he goes full redneck on occasion.**

 **Please remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	24. Chapter 23

Never End

 _A/N: Happy Wednesday update! There has been some crazy craziness on my end. Let us just say that eye fatigue is one thing, but when your eyes actually start **shaking** whilst reading, you probably need to take a break! That, or you put on a pair of glasses and just make the text bigger. Which is what I do. I'm going to go blind, aren't I?_

 _Thanks, everyone for the reviews! Remember, I love hearing from all of you, and enjoy hearing your opinions, guesses and excitement!_

 _Thanks also, as always, to **Msbuffy** for her editing skilz! _

_-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty-Three: Run Away**

"Hi," Sookie tentatively greeted her Bonded as she peeked around the front door. Mags and Junes came storming through the entrance, yanking the door from her hand so that it flung open and exposed her entirely.

Eric was standing in the entryway, arms folded over his chest, looking vulnerable rather than intimidating. "Hi," he returned just as carefully. After an uncomfortable pause, he asked, "You are feeling better?"

"Yeah, I really think I am," she nodded slowly. The awkward silence hung around them again and Sookie played with her hair to give her eyes something other than him to focus on.

"I am glad."

"Yeah," she reflexively cleared her throat. "I- uh… I know it was selfish and stupid of me to go away from you like that. I'm not going to pretend like it wasn't. I'm also not going to pretend that I didn't know it would hurt you. I knew, and I'm sorry, but it was what I needed."

"Why?" he asked quietly.

"Because I've broken in front of you so many times, but never as a vampire. You've seen me at my worst when I knew what my worst was, but I didn't anymore, and I got scared. I didn't want to say anything to you that I didn't mean. I didn't want to hurt you with words when I was already hurting you with my emotions. So I needed to figure myself out by myself."

"And have you?"

"Enough," she smiled sadly. "Enough that I can face you and not say hurtful things. Things you couldn't do anything about."

"I would do anything for you," Eric argued.

"Yes," Sookie nodded, "you would. Only, you're shouldering too much of the blame, Darlin', and the thing is, you didn't do anything wrong. You blame yourself for the Queen coming after me, but she came after _me_ for what _I_ did. You blame yourself for not protecting me, only I would have been truly dead if you hadn't forced me to take your blood with me to work. You think you screwed up my transformation, but it was _all me_. My heritage, my quirks. I'm just one big ol' grab bag of problems, and you didn't deserve to be burdened with them."

"Sookie," Eric's voice was an apprehensive warning.

"I've already told you I'm selfish," Sookie whispered. "I already told you I couldn't stand to be left behind again, and, Darlin', I'm too close to you not to hurt if I ever tried. So, I want you to know, if I need some physical space from time to time, it's not because I don't want you near me. I want you near me always, but my heart!" she gasped, clutching the front of her blouse and waiting for the ache of its pounding to kick in, but it no longer could. "My heart can't take the guilt of you seeing me like that and you thinking it's your fault."

Eric closed the distance between them and picked up his Mate to crush her against his chest. Her tears were staining the front of his shirt, but all he felt was relief that she was in his arms and still wished to be there.

"Thanks for sending Pam and letting me keep my space," Sookie added gratefully as Eric carried her to their bed.

"I understood that much, but I could not leave you entirely alone," he admitted as he laid them both down.

"I'm scared I won't know what to do with my telepathy anymore," Sookie confessed. "I think that's what scares me most of all."

"We will figure it out, Dear One," Eric assured her, kissing her crown.

"Can we stay here? Not travel?" she asked after a moment.

"Is that what you want?"

"I think so. Pam told me to think about what I might have wanted if it weren't for my telepathy, and I think it's finally time for me to do that."

"Really?" he asked with hope in his eyes.

"Yeah," Sookie nodded. "When I was a kid, the cop thing just made sense, you know? I had an advantage, it would be perfect. When I was in cadet training, getting my ass handed to me and wanting to quit, I told myself that I would only be alive so long. A gift like mine shouldn't be squandered, and it was my responsibility to help as many people as I could with it before I was gone. Now I have eternity to help people, and I can spend some of that eternity just being Sookie. I still want to help people, but I want to have a life now that I'm dead."

Eric chuckled at that, and kissed the top of her head, "It really is remarkable what we have lost in The Great Revelation."

"What do you mean?"

"When we were still myths, there was no opportunity to cling to the mortal coil. A Maker was obligated to get his progeny as far from anyone who could recognize them as soon as they had risen, a swift, clean break. No goodbyes, no last glances. There was a defining line between mortality and immortality. Now, with our existence in the public eye, the young ones do not need to run from their human lives. For all of the real estate and financial advantages our openness gives you, it hinders you just as much," Eric explained.

"Even if it does mean I get a nasty, jagged break, I'm glad I can be out of the coffin," Sookie admitted. "I've been in the dark all my life… I'd hate to be trapped there forever."

"I would never do that to you," Eric whispered as he began playing with the strands of her hair in his usual, comforting gesture.

"I know," Sookie smiled at him, giggling as her dogs came bounding into the room and quickly made a space for themselves on the bed. "Hey, girls!"

"This will take some getting used to," Eric admitted as he pushed at Junes with his leg so that she was flopped behind his knees rather than between him and Sookie. "They are not usually in here."

"I think they know I had a rough night," Sookie admitted ruefully. "They did the same thing when I found out about Gran's cancer," she reminded.

"Yes, I remember," Eric pulled her body closer to his own, delighting when her knee draped over his hip almost instinctively. "Is there anything I can do, Sookie? To help you figure yourself out?"

"Well," Sookie frowned, tangling her arms around his torso and pressing her face into his chest, "you've always been pretty good at keeping me honest with myself. As long as you're doing that, I think that's the most I need."

"I can do that," Eric assured, combing his fingers through her hair. "What about your little joke about opening a personal investigation firm with Emily?"

Giggling at the reminder, Sookie admitted, "I don't know if I'm ready to work so closely with anyone just yet."

"They scare you," Eric realized.

"They just want in too fast," Sookie replied. "It's like, I rose, and all of a sudden, they think they _know_ me. Godric with his connection with me through you… Emily with her connection to me through you through Godric… It's really annoying and frustrating having strangers thinking they know how I feel and why."

"I see," Eric rumbled, still playing with the ends of her blonde locks. "Honestly, their presumptions at Fangtasia were frustrating for me as well, but I understood where they were coming from. For them to see a newly Bonded couple so gloomy was disconcerting."

"I get it, I really do," Sookie interrupted, "but understanding doesn't make me feel any better. I just want them to back off, let me come to terms at my own pace."

"And that is perfectly reasonable," Eric assured, "but it is _me_ that is making them impatient."

"What do you mean?"

"I am not the fretting, preoccupied vampire that I have been since meeting you, Sookie," Eric laughed. "You turned me into something to which my Bloodline is unaccustomed. I worry about you, Sookie. I have never been so brooding in my entire existence as I was upon becoming involved with you. I am indulgent with Pam a great deal, but I never made near the amount of allowances with her as I have you."

"What allowances?" Sookie demanded.

"I have never comforted anyone in front of others. I have rarely done so in private, let alone in front of the _Magister_ of all individuals!" With chagrin, he confessed, "For our Bloodline to see me in such a way… Perhaps it caused their concerns to stretch too far."

"Pam didn't bat an eye," Sookie grumbled pointedly.

"No, she did not, but Pam has been around us this entire time," Eric reminded. "She has seen and felt the changes in me even before you and I officially met."

"You started changing before we even _met_?" Sookie gaped.

A grin split her Mate's face and he gave her a playful kiss, "More than you could possibly realize."

"Tell me."

"Well," Eric turned onto his back, pulling Sookie along to rest her head against his chest, "to begin with, I was paying large amounts of attention to a mortal. That was not common. Even when I was moved to turn Pamela, I did not sacrifice excessive amounts of time in the decision or preparation. When my Child arrived at my office purring about a lady cop who could not be glamoured, I was initially moved to investigate you for safety's sake. A non-Were officer that could not be glamoured would raise many eyebrows and tempers."

Sookie grimaced at the comment, knowing just how influential that aspect had been in putting her under Sophie-Anne's murderous sights.

"I had connections to the department's office and managed to get your picture, badge number, and name to distribute to the vampires in my Area. They understood that if they were pulled over by you, they were to be polite and accept their punishment without any attempts at coercion, bribery, or glamour."

Realizing that her sex trade bust involving Michael Grosse had _not_ been the reason she was so well-recognized on her first trip to Fangtasia was a surprise, but Sookie hid it well and remained focused on Eric's recounting.

"That was the first step in my plan," Eric continued. "Outing your inability to be glamoured gave me a reasonable excuse to continue keeping a close eye on you. No one thought twice about my donations to the police department, figuring it was my famous schmoozing opening slammed doors. In reality, I wanted your department well-funded so that you would remain as safe as possible on the streets, properly-issued body armor being the top priority with funds available for overtime and a well-staffed precinct being the second motive. If your department was well funded, you would be safe and decently paid for your services," He looked at her tentatively, gaging her reaction physically and emotionally. She was professionally stoic. With a sigh, he went on, "I only researched your town from a distance. Stepping in Bon Temps so early on was more interest than I could raise at such a time. There would be few excuses to warrant such an action."

"But, _why_ me? Did you suspect some sort of gift behind that inability others had to glamour me? I mean, I know I'm pretty, but you've been around long enough to see plenty of women who were _gorgeous_ , so it can't have been my face!" Sookie protested.

"First off, you _are_ gorgeous. Second, you were my Valkyrie," Eric shrugged. "That is the most sense I can make of it. The second your photo was on my desk, I wanted you to have me. I wanted you to _choose_ _me,_ " He bobbed his head a moment as though preparing to admit a white lie. "As you know, I sort of stalked you a little bit. Just enough to know how to not put you off when I finally had the chance to meet you. You could not be glamoured, so I would not have second chances at a first impression. I had to stack the cards in my favor."

"How did you manage that?" Sookie asked. "Did you use Compton as an informant on me?"

Eric's face transformed into a displeased scowl, "Of course not! I did not want him anywhere near you. The only vampire I intentionally put in your sights was Pamela who was actually the one doing my snooping. She would run a red light here and there, glamour the officer pulling her over if it was not a Were, and gather information. You made it quite hard on us, Dear One."

Sookie rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry I don't share my personal business with everyone at the precinct."

Grinning at her response, Eric nipped at her bottom lip, "That in itself was telling. A private person. Also, the fact that, even under glamour, _every_ officer called you 'Stackhouse' was quite informative. No one ever called you Sookie. That was really all I needed to know. You were distant, careful, but kind."

"How'd you know the 'kind' part?" Sookie pinched his nose playfully.

"When you pulled over Pam. You were good natured, polite, and you lowered her speed on the ticket to save her a few dollars."

"Well, she was flirting with me," Sookie teased, rolling atop him, and straddling his waist. "I didn't used to get flirted with much, so I might have been preening a bit when I dropped the overage on her speed."

"Oh, and now you are a receptive temple of flirtatious advances?" Eric cajoled right back, sitting up to kiss the tops of her breasts. "Who might I be murdering for such unwelcome attention on my Mate?"

"Darlin', I meant you! Ya got me for forever and you still flirt with me," Her Bonded did not look convinced. To placate him, she held his face firmly between her breasts, making him laugh.

When she went to lean back, Eric placed a hand between her shoulder blades, "No, this is the perfect place to be!" he claimed, nuzzling his face in her cleavage.

Laughing at his antics, Sookie wrapped her arms once more around his head and held him to her breasts. She kissed the top of his head before finally forcing him to pull away so she could heatedly capture his lips with her own.

When their mouths parted, Eric asked in a soft whisper, "I am frightened for you still."

"You want to keep talking, don't you?" Sookie accused teasingly.

"I do," he nodded, bringing his hand to her face and stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"What about?"

"You."

"What about me?" Sookie brought her hand to his and played with his fingers.

"I want you to talk to me, Sookie," he whispered. "About how you are feeling, why you are feeling that way. I want to know how you are finding vampirism, and if there are things I can be doing for you to make it easier."

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Sookie murmured back, "I'm feeling scared a lot of the time. Really confused… It makes me angry and frustrated. I know the anger and frustration are because of the first two things."

"The fear might be due to the confusion as well," Eric pointed out.

"I suppose."

"What is confusing you?"

Shrugging, Sookie continued playing with his fingers quietly. Finally, after a few moments, she answered, "Not knowing what to do with my gift is probably the biggest conflict right now. I guess the runner up would be how much like a vampire I don't feel… I still feel like me. The only differences between human me and vampire me are that my throat burns when I'm hungry instead of my stomach aching. The other thing is when I'm nervous or scared, there's no racing heart or butterflies in my stomach. The only physical signs my body gives that I recognize is when I'm turned on. That makes sex really nice and familiar, and I want to do it all the time… Or more of all the time than how much I was already doing it."

Eric laughed at that, "You will start noticing the smaller reactions once you stop focusing on the absent reactions."

"What do you mean?" Sookie asked.

"You say that your stomach does not get butterflies when you are nervous, but you go extremely rigid and stop breathing. This means you would feel the tightness in your muscles and the disorientation of being scent-deprived. Your nerves are probably harder to rein in than they were, correct?" he guessed.

"Yeah," Sookie's eyes widened in surprise. "I thought they were hard to bring under control because I couldn't focus on slowing down my heartbeat!"

"More than likely you are making your discomfort greater by the fact you are not breathing at all. Your predator instincts rely heavily on scent. When you are not breathing, you are not tasting the air to make yourself aware of danger. This is causing a hyper-reaction in your other senses, which causes you greater stress."

"So, just like when I was human I should just breathe through it?" Sookie asked.

"Yes."

"Wow, that's reassuring."

"However, instead of breathing and focusing on your heart rate, you should breathe and focus on what you are smelling and tasting in the air. Try identifying the different scents and flavors. The small distraction will calm you as you realize there are no physical threats," he suggested.

"Why don't you just use the Bond to calm me down?" Sookie asked.

"I would if you were becoming hysterical or uncontrolled, merely for the sake of your safety and the safety of others. However, repressing your emotions, or forcing you to feel something you do not, is only going to make these transitions harder on you," he brushed his thumb over her bottom lip before giving her a brief kiss. "You need to feel, Sookie, even the bad things. Not just for the sake of learning the many realms of self-control needed to be a successful vampire, but for your own mental health. You know that vampires feel things more strongly than mortals, and this means you need to develop a measure of your responses to those emotions."

"I thought I was exhibiting pretty impressive self-control already," Sookie frowned.

"You definitely are, but it is because you are repressing your own emotions much like you did as a mortal… It does not feel like you have properly mourned your grandmother yet," he hinted softly.

Sookie scowled, "I'm fine!"

"So stubborn," Eric sighed, pressing his forehead to hers. "Well, if it turns out that you are not, do not fight it. All right? You believe you have seen yourself at your worst already, but I have my doubts."

"I really want to say you're wrong about that," Sookie disagreed.

"Can you?"

She paused briefly before shaking her head, "No."

"Will you run from me again if you find that I was right?"

"No," she shook her head again.

"You are certain?"

"Hurting away from you hurt more than hurting with you," Sookie whispered.

"I would understand if you needed space," Eric replied softly.

"That's not what you were saying before," It was not an accusation, but more an inquiry.

It was Eric's turn to retreat into silence. After a long moment, he confessed, "I handled myself very poorly tonight, Sookie. I am actually ashamed of it."

"Ashamed? Why?!" she asked in alarm.

"When we were driving back, I begged you not to cry again. When we returned to the house, I stormed off like some petulant child who did not get his way. I pushed you out the door, and then had the audacity to act as though _you_ ran from _me_."

Sookie's lips tightened into a thin, thoughtful line before she consoled him, "Hey, hey!" She nudged him carefully. "This is crazy for both of us. We had a really crappy start to our vampire existence together, and a _really_ crappy end to our human/vampire life. We're both confused, frustrated, and angry. I mean, sure we're those things for different reasons, but it doesn't make it any easier on either of us, right?"

"Sookie, I am over one-thousand-years your senior. I had no right to treat you like that. _I_ am supposed to be your rock, your guide, and I failed at that tonight."

"Oh, Darlin'," Sookie crooned, "don't say that! This isn't like when you were training Pam. You can't pretend you had much more knowledge on what you were doing entering into this Bonding thing than I did!"

"But I _did_!" he protested.

"No, you really didn't. You can read all the books on doing something, but it doesn't make you an expert the first time you try to do it. Plus, how levelheaded can you be when you have this mess," she pointed to herself, "swirling around inside you?"

They returned to companionable silence as they considered the turn their conversation had taken. After several minutes, Sookie asked, "How you feel me, it's nothing like how you feel Pam… Is it?"

"No. Knowing one's emotions is not the same. It is like the difference between sympathy and empathy."

"When's the last time you empathized with someone?"

"I could not say for certain if you are asking about events that happened before I knew of you."

"Then we'll just have to go through the growing pains together."

"I suppose we will."

"Ah, guilt," Sookie frowned. "I know this emotion easily enough." Tangling her fingers in his hair, she lightly nudged at the Bond with encouragement. "You know; I don't expect you to get everything right the first time. I don't expect perfection. You've already gotten me through the hard parts. We can do the rest of this journey together. No one leading, no one following, just hand in hand."

"You deserve perfection," Eric told her softly.

Sookie sighed, letting Resignation sing through the Bond. "You're just going to beat yourself up over this for a while, aren't you?" Eric pouted, making Sookie laugh.

Deciding to take himself out of the spotlight, Eric suggested, "You should practice reading the Bond. You still rely quite heavily on me to read it for you."

Swallowing reflexively, Sookie quietly confessed, "I was void for so long, I really don't know what most of my emotions are anymore, let alone yours."

"All the more reason for you to exercise your interpretations of the Bond," Eric pointed out.

Nodding in understanding, Sookie closed her eyes and reached deep within herself and their connection.

"Try sending to me, Dear One," he encouraged as he reached up to play with the strands of hair that framed her face. The swirling apprehension in the Bond nudged weakly, and a tentative trickle of love poured into his heart. "That feels wonderful," Eric whispered, running his thumb across her cheek, "but you love me much more than that, right?" Now that digit scraped across her plump lower lip. "It is just you and me, Sookie. No need to police your feelings."

Carefully the Love from her end of the Bond swelled until a grin split Eric's face. "Now, you know what you are feeling because you are sending it to me. What do you feel from me?" he asked.

"I-I don't know," Sookie stammered, trying to interpret the emotions that her Love tangled around. "Concern? Patience?"

"Those are just byproducts of what I feel, Sookie," Eric explained. "Feel all of it at once, do not break it apart."

"Is this how you love me?" Sookie gasped as she felt a strange, but pleasant expansion in her heart.

"Yes, my Sookie," Eric cupped her chin in his palm to draw her lips to his own. "This is how I love you."

"It doesn't feel as lusty as I would have imagined," she admitted jokingly before his mouth found hers. As their tongues twisted around one another, Sookie groaned and pulled away, "Oh, there it is!"

Chuckling, Eric rolled atop her and continued peppering kisses across her cheeks, the bridge of her nose and finally lips once more. Mags and Junes made a quick escape as their pair's movements forced them off the bed.

"Give me more, Sookie," Eric pleaded as he began suckling the length of her neck. "I want to feel how much you love me."

Capturing her lip between her teeth, Sookie tried once more to focus her intentions into the Bond. Lust-laced love flowed from her, twisting into his own feelings until she heard her Bonded's approving purr.

"You feel so good in here," Eric brought her hand to cover his unbeating heart. "You do not need Reservation in here," he squeezed her hand tightly. Sookie's response was to nod, and Eric moaned as he felt her end of the Bond split open and flood him with everything she had held back the last two weeks. "There you are!" he crowed, his hips rocking against hers. "Oh, Sookie, why do you keep trying to hide from me?"

"Never again," she groaned while his rolling hips brought her further pleasure. His hand released hers to glide down the length of her body and cup between her legs. The firm pressure caused her to gasp as his fingertips stroked over her clothing. Jaw slackening, Sookie's fangs popped, earning a laugh from her Mate, "D-don't laugh, I can't help it!" she whimpered at his attention.

"Those fangs are just too beautiful, my Sookie," Eric kissed the corner of her mouth. "I cannot help but laugh when I see them because they make me so happy."

Halfheartedly exploring their Bond, Sookie found this to be true. Aside from happiness, the sight of her pointed teeth brought more lust singing through their connection.

"Why does it feel so good when you run your tongue along 'em?" Sookie asked before experimentally doing just that and shivering pleasurably.

Bracing an arm alongside her head, Eric gave her a chaste kiss, "You have glands right here now," he leaned in, and gently rubbed his tongue along her gum line of her fangs. Sookie made a small, simpering noise at the contact and arched her hips against his hand. "It produces the anesthetic that dulls the pain of our bite. Your salivary glands now produce coagulants rather than saliva."

"What about down here?" she arched against his hand. "What makes me wet?"

"Me," he teased.

"Well, obviously," she nipped at his lower lip. "I meant, what does it do?"

Eric shrugged, "Nothing really. Your secretions are similar to my own, residual plasma and blood from what we have consumed. It is why we are much more sexually insatiable after feeding. There is excess blood for our genitals to utilize."

Sookie's face scrunched, "That sounded way too clinical. My curiosity is satisfied, so turn the sexy back on."

Laughing at her mood swing, Eric leaned down and kissed her deeply, running his tongue along her fangs. This tactic paired with his nimble fingers between her thighs had Sookie squirming and mewling within moments. Soon his hand was slipping beneath her skirt and navigating around the elastic of her panties to glide against her weeping slit.

"Eric," she groaned into his mouth when she felt his fingers slipping inside of her. "Oh!" she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep his lips pressed against her own.

A brief, flat tone diverted Eric's attention, Sookie pouted as his mouth parted from hers, and he looked at his phone on the nightstand.

"Ignore it," she told him. "Keep kissing me."

Momentarily distracted, Eric continued sliding his fingers against her entrance, but he sat back on his knees to reach for his phone.

"Eric," Sookie moaned with a strange combination of annoyance and arousal.

"Shit," Eric grimaced before lobbing his phone on the bed beside them.

"What?"

"Nothing for you to worry about," he assured while layering his body once more over hers.

"Easily distracted baby vamp," Sookie reminded. "What was that text message?"

"The King of Arkansas is making a play for the Louisiana kingdom," he griped, pressing his mouth back to hers.

"What does that mean?" Sookie pulled from his lips.

"Annoyances. It is too late in the evening to do anything about it now. I will work on it tomorrow."

"But-"

"Sookie," Eric looked at her amusedly, "you have two choices. I either take my fingers out of your wet, little pussy to continue a very boring discussion that will take the remainder of the evening, or we drop this topic until tomorrow, and I fuck you so hard you do not stop cumming until dawn. Which would you prefer?" When a burst of Confliction rang through the Bond, Eric had to admit he was surprised. Realizing where her apprehension stemmed, the older vampire smiled and murmured, "I promise that no matter what the King of Arkansas does, it will have no effect on us."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then I will take option two," Sookie grinned up at him.

"I was hoping you would say that."

{†}

Jason Stackhouse flung open the front door of his home, agitation creasing the corners of his eyes at being awakened by the obnoxious, continued ringing of his doorbell at 4 AM. "WHAT!?" he hollered, but suddenly stumbled back at the presence rooted at his doorstep. His eyes glazed immediately at who stood before him, and another tentative step of retreat backed him further into his home.

"Jason Stackhouse, tell me everything you possibly can about your dear, sweet sister."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Oh, no! Who's that knockin' on Jason's door? Review so I can hear your guesses!**

 **-Andi**


	25. Chapter 24

Never End

 _A/N: Happy Sunday, everyone! Thanks as always to **Msbuffy** for her edits, critiques and swift kicks to the ass._

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty-four: Dirty Dealings**

"Mmm," Sookie grinned with a delicious stretch, "that's the best night I've had in a while."

Eric laughed as he pulled his Mate lazily against his side, "Every night with you is the best." Smiling at the sentiment, Sookie stroked his cheek while subduing a cringe. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.

"The sun's coming soon. I should let the girls out," Sookie told him.

"Ah, yes," The pair rose from bed, dressing sparsely for the brief excursion outdoors. "You remember that Ludwig requested I keep us aware as long as possible, correct?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," Sookie admitted.

"It is important that you alert me if it is becoming too much for you," Eric explained. "Being as young as you are, you will be quite stressed, regardless of irritations. I do not want you succumbing to the bleeds though, so I would request that you make me aware of any discomfort as soon as it occurs."

"What do you mean by 'discomfort'?" Sookie asked while she ushered Mags and Junes out the door.

"Burning sensations would be the first thing you would notice," Eric told her. "They are very mild in the beginning. Pressure behind your eyes and in your ears would follow that, coupled with a sensation of fatigue. Finally, just before the bleeds begin, you will feel a very uncomfortable pressure on your chest, which can cause the young ones to begin panting out of old habit. If you begin panting, I will let us rest, but I would request that you not let me take you that far."

"Does sun sickness cause any damage?" Sookie asked while the dogs galloped around the yard.

"It can cause weakness into the following evening," Eric informed her. "Insatiable thirst is often another symptom."

"You don't like the idea of doing this, do you?" she guessed.

"I do not," He shook his head.

"Why?" Sookie asked, shivering slightly as the sun grew closer to the horizon.

"You are only two nights old, and have already had to deal with so much more than a normal newborn. I fear that the physical stress this will put you under is asking too much," he confessed sadly.

"Well, I promise not to push myself too hard today," Sookie assured him, giving his arm a comforting squeeze. "If I feel any burning sensations, I'll let you know immediately."

"You promise?" he asked quietly.

"I really, really do. I won't push myself on this."

"All right. Mags! Junes!" he called. "Inside!"

The pair turned back to the door while the dogs came loping back toward them, and Eric quickly flicked the locks before heading to the front door and arming the security system for the day.

"Is there anything you want to bring into the room with us?" Eric asked.

"Why?"

"It might be a long day," he pointed out. "With my age, you might be able to stay aware rather comfortably for several daylight hours. I do not wish you to get bored."

Grinning impishly, she asked, "How could I be bored with a Viking in my bed?"

Shaking his head amusedly, Eric told her, "Unfortunately, I will not be ravaging you during the day. I want you aware of your body on a much more investigative scale. If you intend on informing me of discomforts, they will be more difficult to discern while writhing underneath me."

"Oh, foo," Sookie pouted, giving her foot a playful stomp. "All right, let me grab a couple books," She skipped toward his office to quickly peruse his bookshelves and returned with several different leather bindings. "What _language_ is this in?" She held up a rather impressive-looking volume.

Tilting his head to read the spine, he said, "German."

"Is it any good?"

"Quite."

"Will you read it to me?" she requested.

"It is very emotional," he confessed. "It does not have a happy ending."

Considering his statement for a moment, Sookie grinned, "Then read it to me in German. I won't understand a word of it, but I get to hear you talking all sexy in a foreign language."

Eric laughed, "German is a sexy language?"

Sookie shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

Shaking his head, Eric took her free hand and lead her to the bedroom. They curled up together under the covers and Sookie giggled when her Bonded brought them over their heads.

"Well, I think we've talked enough," she grinned at him through the darkness of their makeshift tent. "I know what you want from me and what you expect of yourself. You've got a pretty good handle on my expectations. What do you say we just veg out until we can't take it anymore?"

Letting out a relieved sigh, Eric nodded, "Would you like me to read to you?"

"Yes, please."

Before Eric could crack open the book Sookie had selected, she succumbed to the rising sun. "Sookie," Eric boomed, initiating his Maker's Command, " _rise_."

The young vampire did not budge, and at Eric's second command, he realized that she would not.

Reaching for his phone, Eric dialed the doctor.

" _She will not remain aware?"_ Ludwig's voice came over the phone.

"Not at all. She is too young," Eric told her. "I cannot fathom a magic that could raise a two-night-old. Even between my age and our Bond, I do not see her resisting the morning sun until she is at least a decade old. She is able to rise shortly after me in the early evening, though," he offered.

" _I suppose I was being unreasonably optimistic. Still, the tests I have run are particularly interesting."_

"How so?" Eric asked curiously.

" _I used part of a sample in daylight. It did not smolder,"_ Ludwig chittered. _"Your blood did not either."_

"What does that mean?" he pressed for more information.

" _It remains to be seen. Maybe in a decade or so, your Mate will be able to show us more, but currently, you are right. She is too young. It might be closer to a century before she starts showing us of what she is truly capable."_

"I find that disconcerting," Eric admitted with a scowl.

" _I am certain that you do,"_ the doctor agreed. _"Regardless, all tests indicate that she has rather reasonable variations than a normal vampire. Have you tried mixing honey with her blood?"_

"Not yet," Eric confessed. "With the trial, we were under much scrutiny. I did not wish to risk questions if anyone smelled the additive."

" _I see."_

"Her transition is particularly worrisome."

" _There are more concerns with her vampiric powers?"_

"No," The Viking looked down at his unconscious Mate. "I fear Godric was right, and that I was too young to create a Bonded Mate."

" _That was not really up to you. Trust me when I say that the compulsion to Bond is not a fickle one. Had you truly been consumed with doubts, you would have run. There is no running now, and I know that you would not wish to."_

"I would not," he agreed.

" _Viking, I like this Mate of yours. You know I do not say such things easily."_

"I feel juvenile around her," he admitted.

" _That is to be expected. Bonding is not something for which one can prepare."_

"Godric and Emily-"

" _Are not you and Sookie!"_ Ludwig snapped. _"Tell me a single hardship that befell them in this century! They have overcome no obstacles together. Emily never knew the hardships and anguishes that have consumed your Mate. Their story is not yours."_

"When did you become a psychiatrist?" Eric teased.

" _Northman, mental health is not one I take much interest in. I am more capable at diagnosing and treating physical ailments and afflictions,"_ Ludwig paused a moment before adding, _"Still, as I said, I like your Mate. She is the only newborn I have encountered in the last several decades that has not annoyed the hell out of me. Right now, she needs her Bonded to be strong because her hardships are nowhere near over. If that means I must fortify your resolve and confidence, then I will do so."_

"That is what worries me."

" _That she will need to endure far more?"_

"Yes."

Ludwig paused to consider the vampire's confession, _"Merely remember that Bonding is the pinnacle of the vampire experience, one that you will bask in until your True Death. It is a transformation not only for that baby vampire in your bed, but for you as well. Be prepared to experience and feel things you never knew you could. That means your responses will need to be relearned as well."_

"I allowed mercy for a vampire who I should have condemned. All for Sookie."

" _Was she a threat?"_

"… No."

" _Then do not fret."_

"My reputation-"

" _Rides coach to your Bonded."_

"Yes, of course," Eric nodded though the doctor could not see him. "I suppose that while she is unconscious, I should take the time to reflect and meditate on our new situations."

" _That would be advisable. Call me when you discover further developments."_

"Of course, Doctor."

Eric quickly hung up and leaned back into bed. His arm unconsciously wrapped around her bare shoulder, and he pulled her snugly to his side. Tracing his thumb along the curve of her jaw, Eric considered his multitude of fuck-ups the previous evening, beginning with his snapping at her in the car, to bursting past her once they returned home, only to lock himself away in the den. Truly, he had acted like a child the previous night, but there was no taking it back.

Relearning his responses would take far greater work than he had thought. Unlike creating a typical Child, there was little to no room separating his emotions from Sookie's. Her humanlike responses and emotions were bewildering, to say the least. Those, coupled with vampiric intensity were overwhelming. Her anger at herself had gotten the better of him, and he had unwittingly snapped.

"I will just have to love you that much more, my Bonded," Eric whispered as he twirled a long golden lock around his fingertip. "How can someone so perfect hate herself so much? So much, in fact, that you overwhelmed my love for you with anger? Please do not hate yourself, Dear One. I love you far too much to wish to be forced to feel such a way about you."

{†}

"Something's different," Sookie rose abruptly.

"Hmm?" Eric purred, his hand buried in her hair.

"I feel different," she said, sounding somewhat surprised.

"Different how?" he pressed for her to continue though he remained lazily on his side, finger-combing her hair.

"Good different," she assured him. "There's this underlying calmness in me… I guess that's you?"

"It is," he confirmed, bringing a lock of her hair to his nose and breathing it in. "I realized many things while you rested. The most important being that I was unwittingly being influenced by your emotions. I have never truly known the repercussions of another's emotions and I was just as blinded as you were by your presence within me. I allowed you to overpower me and I reacted to that poorly."

"Power play?" she asked.

"Not so much," he shook his head. "It was not a reaction to being overpowered. It was a reaction to being consumed. I was overwhelmed by your anger toward yourself, and it was too late for me to realize that _I_ was not angry."

"So, I was so mad at myself last night that I actually made you angry at me?" Sookie observed.

"Something like that. My anger was not directed toward you. Though you and I know what the other is feeling, we do not _know_ what causes those feelings. I _was_ angry, but not at you. Does that make sense?"

"Enough," she supposed. "So, are you going to be Mr. Zen Master now to try to give me an undercurrent of calm without _making_ me calm?"

"Nothing quite so underhanded. I am merely trying to find myself in the center of your storm. This undercurrent you speak of is just a side effect." Sighing, Sookie began to rise from bed. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," she replied, looking for an outfit to lay out before taking her shower. "I've just been in bed a whole lot lately. I want to move around. I feel a bit restless."

Eric rolled out of bed as well and met her between the bathroom and the closet. "Company?" he asked, making his Bonded smile.

"Of course."

Their shower took the remaining time before true dark, and Eric felt anticipation for getting out of the house. He was just as unaccustomed to spending so much time at home though he had grown more and more familiar with it since meeting Sookie.

"Where would you like to go?" Eric asked after they had taken Mags and Junes for their nightly run.

"Fangtasia?"

"Really?" He was surprised she wished to return there.

Sookie shrugged, "I…sort of want a donor," she admitted bashfully.

Grinning at her confession, Eric kissed the top of her head, "Then a donor is what you shall have!"

"Wow, you really are excited about seeing me suck on someone else's neck!" she taunted as he opened the car door for her.

"I am excited about anything you do that exhibits vampire behavior."

"I thought you liked my uniqueness," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him.

Chuckling, Eric took her hand in his and gave it a kiss, "Always, but with the variations you have shown, you cannot fault me _too_ much for being relieved at brief glimpses of normalcy."

"It's sort of a relief to me," she sighed, leaning back into her seat as they drove away. "I wish there was stuff to do at night so that I could bring Mags and Junes with us," she said after a few minutes of silence. "I hate how much time they spend without me."

"Perhaps you are right," Eric replied.

"Oh, you're not going to try and convince me to give them away, are you?" Sookie moaned.

"Of course not," Eric shook his head. "I was actually thinking that maybe we could move up north for a while. I could step down from my duties as Sheriff, we could move north, and spend the next decade or so spending quality time with the girls, letting you find yourself again."

"You wouldn't get bored?" Sookie asked quietly.

Eric actually laughed at that, "Dear One, I could never get bored with anything that involved you. Besides, it would not be the first time I have lived reclusively."

"I'll think about it," she relented after a moment's consideration.

"That is all I ask," he nodded while pulling into the Fangtasia parking lot. He frowned at the overabundance of cars for so early on a weekday.

Shaking off the suspicion, Eric went to Sookie's door and opened it for her. She tentatively took his hand and began looking around anxiously.

"What is it?" Eric asked, his body on high alert with her unease. The excessive amount of vehicles became a red flag.

"I have a bad feeling," Sookie answered apprehensively. "The minds here are strange. I feel like I'm being spammed."

"Spammed?" Eric asked while they moved toward the club.

"Yeah, Jason used to do it to me all the time. When he _really_ didn't want me to listen to him, he'd intentionally think really hard about trivial matters. If I asked him something, he'd ignore me and just keep thinking stupid things," she explained.

As the couple entered the back door, and then proceeded through to the club floor, Sookie was nearly blinded by the onslaught of flashbulbs.

"Detective! Detective!" a voice yelled. "When did you become a telepath!?"

"What do you hear?"

"Can you access privileged information!?"

"The public has a right to know if their privacy has been breached!"

Sookie stumbled back into Eric's chest at the abusive strobes of flashes. There were several phones recording her as well as taking her picture. More phones were being used as recorders, and judging by the state of the press agents' dress, they had made their way into Fangtasia disguised as club goers.

"Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!" a voice boomed above the collected paparazzi. The blitz of flashes ceased as a man in a black suit and tie shoved his way through the ring of reporters. "I am Special Agent Tallouis with the FBI. Ms. Stackhouse, I need you to come with me."

Eric made a move to come between the agent and his Bonded, but Sookie took his forearm and shook her head. "It's all right, Eric," she whispered. Turning back to Tallouis, she nodded, gesturing for him to lead the way. When they passed the front door, Pam's eyes were wide and confused. "It'll be okay," she whispered hoarsely to her Bonded's Child.

Agent Tallouis opened the back door of a nondescript, black car and ushered the vampire inside. Sookie was not surprised to see the vampire sitting next to her.

"Magister," Sookie tried to keep the worry out of her voice.

"A telepath, eh?" Jorge shook his head. "I thought there was something special about you."

"It's just the media. I don't know where they get this crap," she complained. "The precinct knows I'm hyper-observant. It was probably just a bad joke going around the departments that the reporters ran with."

"Is that all?" he asked, looking deceptively disappointed.

"Yes," Sookie told him firmly.

"Well, bad joke or not, you have put us in quite the position," the Magister shook his head.

Sookie frowned, asking, "What do you mean?"

"Vampires can remain in the public eye as a _whole_ , baby vampire. We cannot protect our dealings when a single one of our kind jumps in the limelight."

"Believe me, there was no jumping. I was pushed!" Sookie snapped, frustrated that the Magister was trying to paint her into a corner. The whole charade of media and government officials was just a slew of normal humans that had been glamoured into playing a role and hopefully scare the newborn vampire into showing her hand. Worse yet, Sookie could not call the Magister out on his farce without giving herself away.

"Be that as it may, you are our unwanted poster child. World-wide, do you know the name that falls from the lips of humans when they are asked to name a vampire? I will give you a hint. She's three nights old," he was smirking in a way that unsettled Sookie.

"I can't help that. Sophie-Anne-"

"Is truly dead, and we can't bring her back for another staking now, can we?" Jorge asked. "The Council has decreed that you be erased."

Sookie swallowed hard, "I'm Bonded! You can't without a trial!"

"Only if it meant we were planning on ending your existence. No, no… We have no interest in extinguishing the Viking's flame. As a matter of fact, he has become almost compliant since Bonding, especially now that we have a string of his that we can pull at our need and desire."

"I won't let you," Sookie hissed. "You have no evidence to support your claim!"

"Do we really need it? If we allow the media to run this story about you, the _real_ FBI and CIA will come knocking. _They_ do not hold much respect for Bonded vampires."

"Tell me what you want, and I'll tell you what I'm willing to give."

"I want to give you an opportunity, Sookie," Jorge grinned at her. "The opportunity to have a free, clean start to your new existence. I want to give you a _purpose_ for that gift of yours. That is what you wanted, wasn't it?"

Sookie's eyes narrowed, "You glamoured my brother."

"Why would you say such a thing?" Jorge actually frowned. _Was the Stackhouse boy wrong? Can she hear vampires too?_

"Jason is the only one other than Eric that I told I needed a purpose for my hyper-observation!" Sookie spat. "I know for damn certain Eric wouldn't tell you such a thing about me. Jason, though… He can be glamoured."

"If I did glamour your brother, do you really think you can hide behind the pretenses of hyper-observation?"

"You will never hear me call it anything else," Sookie spat. "Besides, how can you think I'm telepathic? Why the _hell_ would I walk into a club full of reporters, knowing what they were about to bombard me with?"

"Oh, Sookie," Jorge shook his head, "you are boring me with your resistance. I am a busy, busy vampire. Let us cut through this pretense and get to the point," _'You will tell me soon enough whether you are telepathic or not'_ , "I am offering you the chance to disappear once and for all. The Council is prepared to utilize the world's strongest coven and do a mass memory wipe. You and your Bloodline as well as a few choice representatives," he straightened his tie importantly, "will be the only ones in existence that will remember who or what you are. You can explore a limitless existence! No friends or family to mourn you. No enemies. No spotlight to shy away from. Wouldn't the world be so much more exciting for you if you did not have to hide?"

"Assuming that what you think of me is true, what do you get out of it?" Sookie demanded.

The Magister's grin returned, "We would, of course, request your assistance in human and two-natured investigations. Only the most controversial, of course. Much like the Ancient Pythoness, we would only drag you out of the cupboard for special occasions."

"And what would I do when not at your beck and call?" Sookie asked through her clenched teeth.

"Whatever you wish, travel, become a recluse. I do not care. Merely stay out of the limelight and refrain from creating new enemies whenever possible. Perhaps you can teach your Viking some restraint in that regard at the same time."

"I don't want to be your lap dog, Sir," Sookie reached for the door handle. "Besides, even if I _were_ a telepath as a mortal, it doesn't mean that I still am."

"Think about it, Youngling. Talk to your Mate about what you are being told to do."

"Told or asked?" Sookie looked at him sharply.

"You might find you will not be _asked_ again. You might also find that generosity is the precursor of a threat."

Sookie swallowed reflexively and felt her fangs began to distend out of fear. Taking a deep breath, she willed her incisors back into their human façade before she spoke, "I hope you haven't told your superiors I would come without a fight."

"I hope you enjoy the little box the humans will put you in," the Magister smirked.

"I was doing a perfectly fine job of putting myself into a box before anyone else tried," Sookie opened her door slowly and placed a foot onto the curb. "The thing is, I don't know that I can trust you and what you're promising. I don't know if you were hoping I'd scare like a child and run to you for protection, mercy, or what, but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to talk to my Bonded and ask what he thinks is best for us, fighting you or following you."

"And if I told you that this is the only chance you will get to accept?" the Magister demanded.

"Then you wanted this to turn into a fight. You don't corner a child and scare them into making a decision unless you are a monster. I am not a child and I am not afraid of you."

"But I could still be a monster," Jorge grinned devilishly.

"I'm prepared to believe that," Sookie nodded, "but I'm still not afraid."

With that, Sookie climbed out of the car and strode back into Fangtasia. When she arrived back on the floor, she was not surprised to see all of the reporters subdued, their phones, cameras, and recorders confiscated, and Pam busying herself with deleting footage.

"What did that FBI agent want with you?" Eric demanded.

"Nothing. I didn't talk with the FBI at all. I spoke with the Magister," Sookie explained. "Eric, we need to talk. Not here. Not at the house. Somewhere random. I don't trust the Magister any further than I could throw him… Oh, scratch that. I'm a vampire now, I could probably throw him pretty far," Her eyes glazed over as she began visualizing such a scenario, but then she quickly shook her head to clear the image.

Eric placed his arms on her shoulder, "That is fine, but you _need_ to drink something. This is too much stress for a newborn to deal with while so depleted."

"Fine," Sookie looked around. "I'll take her," She pointed to one of the reporters.

"Is that wise?" Eric asked in surprise.

Sookie looked around before zipping over to the bar, grabbing a pen and paper, and jotting down a message. She handed the scrap of paper to Eric.

~ _Not a real reporter. I'll explain when we aren't here anymore._

Eric sighed, pulled a matchbook from his pocket, and set the note ablaze before stomping it out on the floor. Once the evidence was gone, he took the "reporter's" hand, and pulled her in the direction of his office.

"Finish taking care of this mess, Pam," Eric instructed.

Once the trio was alone in Eric's locked office, the older vampire hurriedly re-glamoured the woman, and Sookie fed quickly.

"Sookie. Sookie, stop!" Eric commanded, making the newborn yank away from her donor's neck. She took a deep, steadying breath, and sealed the wound before Eric dismissed the wobbly brunette. "This must be serious if you are that distracted."

"Quite," Sookie confirmed, wiping her bloodied lips on her forearm before licking it clean. "Can we go now?"

"Yes," Eric frowned, taking her hand in his and leading Sookie out the service door. Without another word, he wrapped his arms around Sookie's waist and took off into the night sky.

"Holy Christ!" Sookie shouted, clutching her Bonded's middle when her feet left the ground.

"Ah, I forgot you have not flown with me before," Eric realized, chuckling at her shock and exhilaration.

"Slow down, slow down!" Sookie squealed as the ground beneath them flurried past at a dizzying pace.

Eric relented on his speed while descending into a forested area, landing beside a small creek. When their feet were firmly on the ground, Sookie began stripping off her clothes before forcefully yanking at Eric's pants.

"I know you did not bring us out this far for a fuck, Lover," Eric purred as he began tugging away his shirt.

When they were both naked, Sookie dunked their clothes into the creek and turned to look at her Bonded worriedly.

"What in the hell happened, Sookie?" Eric asked softly.

"The Magister glamoured Jason into telling him about my gift. He glamoured all of those people into pretending they were reporters. He forced their minds to run on an infinite spam until they saw me and bombarded me with accusations and questions. He was trying to catch me off guard, to make me panic," she explained rapidly while beginning to pace. "He offered to do some global glamour or _something_ to erase my existence from the minds of humans. He wants me to be like the Ancient Pythoness, some secret judge that they keep stowed away for special events. Eric- Eric!" she began sobbing. "I'm so scared!"

"Shh, shh," Eric wrapped her into his arms. "I will never let them take you. They cannot take you from me."

"They don't want to _take me._ They want me off the grid, out of the public eye. There's… There's so much! I don't know what to do. I don't know," She buried her face against his chest and took in a deep breath of his scent. That alone settled her rising fear to a more manageable level. "In a way, the Magister was trying to paint me into a corner so I would accept, to scare me enough into thinking it was the only avenue. I don't know what to think, Eric! I don't know if he was trying to help while getting something out of it in return, or if this is some ploy to make me the Council's pet? I was too scared to push into his mind to find out anything, I didn't want to do anything suspicious. Then that thought about confirmation from the horse's mouth…"

"You believe we were bugged?" Eric guessed at their state of undress.

"Yes. Fangtasia too. Maybe the house. I don't know," she admitted. "He doesn't know who all I can hear. I tried to imply that I lost my ability, while never admitting I had one, when I was turned, and that Jason didn't know that I was "normal" now. It didn't sound like he believed me."

"Then we will just have to show him it is true," Eric replied.

"How?" Sookie whispered.

"Let us try to run away for now, Sookie. Abandon Bon Temps and Shreveport. I will step down as Sheriff like we discussed, and we will go up north. Perhaps if we can remain out of the public eye for a time, hide what you can do, the North American Council will back off and realize that you were being honest."

"I don't want to go," Sookie sobbed. "I don't want to leave yet."

"I know," Eric murmured into her hair. "She will understand though, Sookie. She did not want you to mourn forever, and she will understand why you had to run."

"I've never really, truly ran from anyone but myself before," she cried.

"It will be all right, my Bonded," Eric reassured her. "It would be best if we left North America. The Magister only oversees this continent, and there is an entirely different Council in Europe. If we make our plea now, explaining the harassment my Bonded has received, I am certain we will be granted an emergency deportation for all four of us."

"The girls?" Sookie looked at him hopefully at the mention of "four."

"Yes, the girls," Eric told her.

"Won't it be suspicious if we run like that?" Sookie asked.

Eric scowled, "When I inform the European Council of the treatment you have received in North America, they would be shocked if I _did not_ take this course of action!"

"This is really that bad?" Sookie asked in surprise.

"Sookie, Bonded couples are not to be treated in this manner. The trial the other night was not something a newborn should have been meant to endure, let alone a Bonded newborn!" he told her. "The Ancient Pythoness should have been in attendance to save you that sort of circumstance!"

"How soon will we have to leave?" Sookie asked.

"Are your dogs up to date on their vaccinations?"

"Of course," Sookie frowned.

"I can get us out of here by tomorrow night."

"Won't they quarantine the girls?" Sookie fretted.

"Not with the wheels I am about to grease," he told her. "Shall we adorn our sodden clothing now?" He gestured to their submerged garments.

"Y-yeah," Sookie nodded stiffly.

Going back toward the creek, Sookie picked up the soaked bundle of clothes, apologizing profusely for ruining Eric's cell phone. "What about Trent? And the Captain?"

"You may call them when we are safely in Europe."

"I can't say goodbye?" Sookie asked sadly.

"No, Dear One. I am sorry. We cannot risk the North American Council or Magister catching on to our plans."

"I'm sorry," Sookie wept. "I'm sorry I'm doing this to you! To us-"

"This is nothing you could have protected against, Sookie. This is not something you should have _needed_ to protect against," Eric comforted her.

"Why do I feel responsible for it then?" she wailed in distress.

"Because it is being done _to_ you for something that was never yours to control, but has dictated your entire life."

"What about Pam? And Godric and Emily?" Sookie sobbed into his chest.

"We have all survived without each other before, Sookie. We will do so now. For our Bloodline this is not goodbye, but, see you later."

"I'm going to be locked away again," Sookie sniffled.

"No," Eric sighed, rocking her back and forth. "You will not be locked away. I would never do that. We can go to Sweden! I will teach you the language, and we will go out so that you can learn to speak with the locals. Oh, Sookie, you will see snow, and I will teach you to ski. The dogs will get to play in the drifts and run around. I promise will not let you be pushed back into that loneliness," he told her firmly.

"O-okay," she sniffled.

"Okay?" he pulled back with surprise.

"Y-you promised," she stammered. "You always keep your promises to me."

"I _will_ make you happy, Sookie," he promised further. "I swear; by Christmas this whole mess will just seem like a tiny shove to get you past the doorway of a new adventure."

"I love you, you know?" Sookie whispered around another sniffle.

Smiling at her declaration, Eric kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I do know, and I love you too."

 **TBC**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please remember to review!**


	26. Chapter 25

Never End

 _A/N: Happy Wednesday! Thanks for all the reviews, I love the feedback and encouragement. Also, I'm already starting work on a new story. I'm still testing the waters on it, and we'll see if it's a viable plot line or not. I_ swear _I'm trying to get the sequel to 'Keep Me' off the ground, but she's being a resistant **bitch**. The whole storyline is right here in my noggin', but she's holding back on the words. So, in the meantime, I started another story which I hope you'll all enjoy! If I keep up my pace with that one, you should have a new adventure in July. However, if you're itching for something of mine to read, my beautiful editor, **Msbuffy** , and I are working on a remastering of my previous works… Oh, and maybe I'll finally finish 'My Angel' which has become a major thorn in my side. But that's a **bitch of an entirely different color**!_

 _In case you couldn't infer from the above statement, 'Never End' is winding down. We have chapters 26-29 and an Epilogue left._

 _Thanks, as always, to **Msbuffy** for her patience and excellence of editing._

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty-Five: Effulgent Evacuation**

"Quickly, Sookie," Eric urged once they returned home. The woman went straight to the bedroom and began throwing together bags and suitcases while Eric went to the phone. With lightning speed, he was dialing, giving his clock glances, hoping that if his home was bugged, it was close enough to dawn that translations would not be ready until the following evening when they would already be boarding their international flight. The phone rang, and Eric was forced to punch a series of keys before speaking, "Två flyger till Stockholm Sverige från Shreveport, Louisiana, USA _(Two flying to Stockholm Sweden_ _from Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.)_. Vampyr flyg _(Vampire flight.)_. Två stora hörntänder medföljer _(Two large canines accompanying.)_ ," he ordered. "Snarast möjligt bekvämlighet när det är mörkt _(Soonest possible convenience after dark)_ ," He paused a moment and replied, "Cash."

Scrawling out the departure gate and time, he glanced at his Bonded. She was moving at top speed as their entire closet was emptied into their luggage. Her anxiety was ringing shrilly through their Bond.

Hanging up the phone, Eric stopped Sookie in her tracks, "There is no need for this worry, Dear One. We will be fine. I will stay aware until it is dark in our destination."

"Can this really happen so quickly?" she asked desperately.

"For someone of my means, yes."

"And the dogs won't cause any trouble?" she pressed.

"No."

"Eric, I'm-"

"Please, do not say you are sorry again," Eric leaned his forehead against hers.

"I'm… Regretful?"

Eric sighed, and then laughed lightly. "Let us walk the dogs one last time before dawn."

Sookie nodded at his suggestion, and finished dumping one more bundle of clothing into a nearby duffle.

Mags and Junes barked shrilly when the pair emerged from the room, both sensing a disturbance looming over their heads. Sookie leaned down and hugged the dogs to her sides, kissing the tops of their heads. "It's okay, Girls," she soothed. "We'll all be fine."

Junes gave a loud bark at the comforting tone of their mistress's words, nuzzling her muzzle under Sookie's chin while Mags whimpered into her chest. The four of them went outside then, and Sookie let out a deep breath.

"I've never been out of Louisiana, let alone the country," she commented softly.

"It will be all right," Eric assured her. "You will have me to teach you the language and customs. You will learn quickly with that sharp mind of yours."

"I'll have you. You could have just stopped at that," she said.

Eric smiled and kissed the top of her head while the dogs ran around the yard. When they were ready to come back inside, Sookie filled their bowl with water, and allowed Eric to usher her back into their room. "Is there anything else I should pack other than clothes?" Sookie asked.

"No, Sookie. There is nothing here that I need. What about you? Is there anything you need? Knick-knacks? Mementos?"

Sookie frowned as she thought about this before zipping out of the room and into the guest room where all of her belongings from her old apartment were still crammed. She rustled through several boxes before finding two picture frames.

There they all stood in one. Her mother holding her, her father with his hands on Jason's shoulders, and Gran standing with her head leaning against her father's arm. In the second photo, she stood with her high school diploma, Jason giving a rueful grin into the camera, and Gran looking at her with so much pride, she looked ready to burst. Jason had been so kind to her that day, marveling at her final GPA, and the honor chord she was adorned with for such high marks. That evening had not been so splendid as Jason had eventually lulled out of his awe, and instead began accusing her of cheating for her grades.

Still, in the moment the picture had been taken, Jason had been proud of her, too, probably for the last time she could remember. More than likely for the last time she would ever know.

{†}

"Ja, situationen är det ödesdigra ( _Yes, the situation is that dire.)_ ," Eric confirmed as he lay in bed, stroking Sookie's hair as she remained indisposed for the daylight hours. "Min lagerförråd har hotats av nordamerikanska rådet och Magister. De försöker manipulera henne genom rädsla, och hon är bara tre nätter gamla! Jag förstår inte varför de försummar så många protokoll, men jag inte vill stå bredvid och ta reda på! Vi behöver asyl _(My Bonded has been threatened by the North American Council and Magister. They are trying to manipulate her through fear, and she is only three-nights-old! I do not understand why they are neglecting so many protocols, but I do not wish to stand by and find out! We need asylum.)_ ," He paused as he listened to the response from Sweden's Vampire King. "Ja, vi har en flygning strax efter första dark. Vi bör anländer i Stockholm omkring fyra hundra timmar _(Yes, we have a flight shortly after first dark. We should be arriving in Stockholm around four hundred hours.)_ ," Sighing, Eric nodded, "Vi är din skuld, ers höghet. Tack _(We are in your debt, Your Highness. Thank you.)_."

Hanging up the phone, Eric rubbed his thumb against Sookie's cheek before sliding down the bed and curling up alongside her. Shutting his eyes, he succumbed to death.

When the pair arose a few hours before true dark, they quickly finished packing what they could. Sookie fretted over Mags and Junes, going as far as to leave the safety of their bedroom to open the hallway door enough that the girls could sneak into the bedroom with them, much to Eric's disapproval.

"I'm sorry, I want them nearby," Sookie admitted.

"If it were not safe, I would not have let you do it," Eric answered.

"So, how does this whole thing work?" Sookie asked as she began petting and scratching her four-legged companions.

"We will drive to the tarmac in Shreveport, the dogs and our luggage will be loaded. I have chartered a private plane. We will board like normal passengers. When the sun begins to rise, we will go below the cabin deck to where the dogs will be, and slip into a two sleeper travel coffin. If my calculations are correct, we will have several hours of darkness left when we arrive in Stockholm. I will remain aware as long as I can during the day so we are not caught off guard. There is a layover in Frankfurt, but that is only while we refuel for Stockholm, no more than an hour or two. A two-natured concierge will take care of our passports-"

"What about Mags and Junes' passports!?" Sookie realized.

"I made arrangements for that as well, Sookie, while you were dead for the day."

"Oh," she let out a relieved sigh.

"Do not worry, Dear One. I have thought of everything for this evacuation. Once we are in the air, we are safe."

"I wish _you_ could just fly us there," she pouted.

"Even if I could just have our belongings shipped overseas, I unfortunately could not make it in a single evening," Eric wished that, too.

Sookie nodded as she returned to bed, grinning as Mags and Junes followed her to cuddle between the couple. Eric's arm wrapped around Sookie's shoulder and drew her closer to his side so that he could kiss the side of her head. The anxiety in the Bond was causing him to ache with his own distress at being unable to comfort her.

"I will never let anything happen to you, Sookie," Eric tried again to reassure her.

"It's not that," Sookie whispered. "I never wanted to have to leave," she told him.

"You wished to stay in Shreveport for the rest of eternity?" Eric joked.

"No, just… I didn't want to have to leave so soon. There are so many things I thought I would get to learn before having to learn more," She took a steadying breath before continuing, "So much has changed so quickly. Darlin', you came into my life like a bolt of lightning! You've been keeping tabs on me for so long, it probably doesn't seem as quick to you, but for me? Three Months, Eric. Three months ago, I didn't even know you existed. Three months ago, the only ones who knew about what I am were me, Jason, and Gran. Now, it feels like the whole world knows. I feel like there's been this spotlight shining on me, and I've always tried to stay far, far away from that."

Eric buried his hands in her hair, tangling the soft strands around his fingers. He had no words to offer her. Even for him, their flirting, courtship, and Bonding had been swift. He had wanted _years_ to prepare her for this and had only managed to scrounge a handful of months.

"This was not what I wanted for you," Eric told her, "but you have overcome so much, Sookie. You are even stronger than I thought possible. You told me in the beginning that you fought against running from me and what I was making you feel. However, the only regret I have for this whole situation is the despair it has brought you along the way. I do not regret the discomforts or even the fears you have been forced to endure. Those are parts of any creature's existence, but this… What you have had to endure the past three evenings _is_ unfair. There have been plenty of vampires with special gifts in our long history, but I have never witnessed the complete disregard you were shown last night. Even if you were not Bonded, you should not have been approached like that! It is a sign of disrespect toward you and me both to have you threatened in such a way. Had you only been a Child and not my Bonded, the Magister's actions would _still_ have been quite taboo."

"Have you spoken to the Council and stuff?"

"I have," Eric nodded. "I will also be calling the North American Council once we are at our destination. I want to confirm whether or not the Magister's play was ordained by them. If it was, the European and North American Councils will be at great odds with one another… An outside mediator might be called upon," he added.

"Who would that be?" Sookie asked curiously.

Eric grimaced, "The Pantheon. Particularly Endymion."

"Who's he… or she?"

" _He_ is the Voice of the Pantheon, which is the collective of Gods and Goddesses. Usually, he only comes to Earth for brief visits with Selene when she takes on a human body with whom he will reconnect."

"Uh?"

"I suppose you could call it a Divine Booty Call, but they are very much in love. However, since Selene is not a physical being, she must obtain a mortal vessel."

"Is Endymion a physical being?"

"Yes, though he sometimes possess normal humans for brief periods of time. He pops in from time to time, but I have not seen him on Earth in several centuries. Of course, the odds of me being in the same place as him are very unlikely."

"So, he's like the Ancient Pythoness? Only popping in for special events?" she teased.

"Not so much," Eric laughed, thankful to have distracted her. "Since he has a physical body, he is capable of influencing things happening on Earth more directly. Suppose that there was a prophecy that needed to be fulfilled, and two individuals needed to meet. If the chances of that happening were not favorable, Endymion could enter the human realm and force the odds into better favor."

"Sounds like a cheater."

"A bit, he can be quite mischievous at times. He is also the only being other than the Black Cervine Clan that is allowed to enter the Void of Time and Space."

"Oooh, that sounds Fated! Tell me about that!" Sookie giggled.

Grinning at her enthusiasm, Eric explained, "Well, the Black Clan is a special creature that can survive in the Void. The Void is a realm where one can travel, not only through time, but into parallel dimensions."

"Like an alternate universe?" Sookie asked.

"Yes. There must be a universe, unlike this one, where Elfyria is still thriving and strong, you see. If there were not, then there would be no magical creatures. The land of the Fae is very important because it is the root of all magics. Vampires, two-natured, witches, fairies, all of us would cease to exist if there were not a dimension that had a strong and lustrous Elfyria."

"Would a world without magic be so bad?" Sookie asked.

"Oh yes, Dear One. A world without magic is a world without life. Even the most mundane things are magical, but overshadowed by mythical creatures such as us. Energy is magic, Sookie. We can try and explain and deconstruct what it is made up of, but only more and more questions arise when we try. That is the magic of energy and life; that there are always more questions. More to explore, more to wonder. It is the ceaseless cycle and pursuit of knowledge. It is the strength of the spirit. It is the opening of a heart. A woman who feared being hurt, but still offered so much love? That was magic," he whispered as his thumb traced her plump bottom lip. "The sun has now set, and we must depart. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she offered.

"All right, I will start loading up the car. You finish getting whatever it is you need for the girls," Eric instructed before quickly rising, dressing, and grabbing the handles of their luggage in his large hands.

Sookie made quick work of packing up her dogs' supplies. Food, toys, bowls, it all went into a large, unoccupied duffle bag. When she arrived at the Escalade, Sookie was astounded to see two large carrier crates in the back, and all of their luggage smashed into the seats between the front and trunk. With ease, Eric lifted each dog into their own crate and closed them. Mags whined at the unfamiliar transportation, accustomed to traveling directly behind Sookie. Junes merely let out a suffering sigh and flopped onto the plastic floor.

The pair of vampires quickly jumped into the front seats and Sookie gripped her Bonded's hand as he tore off into the night to the airport. Their drive was a swift one, and Sookie almost felt disoriented by the speed in which they were moving toward the private tarmac.

"Is that the plane?" Sookie pointed to the sleek, Anubis emblazoned aircraft.

"Yes," Eric nodded as he came to a stop.

That was all he said before slipping out of the car and assisting the luggage handlers with quickly moving their baggage from the vehicle to the plane's hull. Sookie effortlessly pulled the kennels from the trunk and set them down, petting and scratching at her dogs through the thin bars.

"It's okay, girls," she murmured. "Tomorrow, we'll _all_ start getting used to the new "normal."

Sookie gasped in horror as the cages were suddenly flung across the black surface of the tarmac, and her fingers that had been lovingly caressing her dogs were instantly broken as a series of yelps and cries rented the air.

"YOU CANNOT LEAVE!" a voice boomed above her. _'They will kill me if they realize what I have done!'_ the Magister's thoughts penetrated Sookie's mind as he grabbed her by the wrist.

Mags and Junes were crying and yelping several feet away in their overturned carriers, her fingers were throbbing as they healed, blind fear and rage were emanating from the wounded and emotionally injured baby vampire.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Sookie screamed not from the pain from Jorge's grip, but his actions against her canine companions.

Before she could stop it, before she could realize the terrifyingly familiar sensation pulsing inside of her, Sookie exploded with righteous fury just as she had nearly a week before in the homicide division of Shreveport P.D. She watched in stunned silence while her skin radiated with pure, white light, and the Magister's jaw slackened as his hand, arm, and chest turned to ash. Then that slackened jaw dislodged, fell to the ground as if it were charred wood, and finally, his entire frame crumbled into a pile of nearly unrecognizable ash.

"Sookie!" Eric was at her side, fearlessly placing his hands on her shoulders until the glow subsided, and she stood trembling. "Are you all right?" he inquired cautiously, spinning her around to face him. A breeze picked up, blowing the scorched remains of Jorge across the tarmac.

"The girls!" Sookie grasped consciousness and ran for the cages as several stunned airline employees looked on in paralyzing fear.

Unable to risk the escape of witnesses, Eric quickly went back to the handlers and glamoured them. Next, he found a security guard who was running over to their plane, forcing him to retrieve the security footage of the incident and bring it to him. After their safety was guaranteed, Eric returned to Sookie's side as she opened the kennels and inspected her dogs.

"They're fine!" Sookie gasped in relief once she had the dogs out walking, and they showed only the slightest hints of sprains and bruises. "Oh, my girls!" she sobbed into their coats.

"Sookie, we do not have time for this," Eric urged her to put the dogs back in their kennels before loading them into the hull.

"What did I do? What just happened?" Sookie asked fearfully.

"I do not know, but it does not cause me any injury it would seem," Eric answered her, accepting the disc the security guard dazedly placed in his hand. "We will give this to Ludwig to see if she can offer any explanation."

The most Sookie could offer was a sensationless nod of her head, letting Eric lead her onto the plane.

"Please, scan the crew," Eric instructed.

Another numb nod of her head followed his directive, and Sookie peered into the minds of their pilots and attendants.

"They're good. Scared though, they know something happened outside-"

Eric was gone and glamouring the crew for only moments, but by the time he returned to his Bonded, she was trembling all over.

"You are safe, Sookie," Eric told her. "I cannot believe I was so stupid to put that much distance between the two of us while still in North America!"

"Who's Diedra Thorn?"

Eric's face turned to hers, his eyebrows raised, "Diedra? She is a representative of the North American Vampire Council, and the vampire representative of the International Council of Supernaturals. Why?"

"When the Magister grabbed my arm, he was thinking of her." Eric growled at her remark. "No, no! Not like they were in cahoots, but… Envy? He wanted a spot on a continental council and he wanted to get it the same way Diedra did."

Eric frowned at that, "Diedra was given that spot for submitting the Ancient Pythoness to the use of the International Councils."

"The Magister wanted me to be his Ancient Pythoness, his bargaining chip for a seat on a council," Sookie realized.

The plane began to shudder then as the engines roared to life, and Sookie held her breath. Aside from Eric's abrupt aviation the previous night, the telepath had never flown before.

"The relationship between the Ancient Pythoness and Diedra is a very long, very trusting one. They had been friends for a millennium or so before they struck such a deal," Eric told her. Sookie's hand grasped his as she felt the plane begin to move. "Scared of flying?"

"Er," Sookie looked out the window nervously, "not sure. Apprehensive of the unknown?" she offered.

Eric smiled at her reassuringly, "It will be fine. As soon as we leave the ground, we will be safe to make new plans."

"Even though I just _killed_ the Magister?" Sookie hissed.

"There is no evidence of that," Eric shrugged, then sighed in relief. "I have the only footage, and there are no witnesses. Thank goodness there were not any Weres on duty! Even if it were proved, I _do_ have evidence that you were assaulted. Still, considering the means of how you dispatched him, I would prefer not to be forced to disclose it to anyone."

"So, I still haven't done anything bad?" Sookie asked with bated breath.

"You had every right to protect yourself. If I had been closer, I would have murdered him myself."

Regret thrummed through the Bond, and Sookie leaned her head on Eric's shoulder, "Well, we could think of it this way… No one's gonna get the drop on your Bonded. She'll torch 'em."

Eric laughed, "Yes, that is comforting."

With that, the plane left the ground and Sookie held her breath again. Soon, she felt the disorientation of being scent-deprived and reminded herself to breathe, doing as Eric had suggested and tasted the air. It was perfumed with deodorizers and disinfectants. She did not like the flavors at all.

"Would either of you like a drink?" a flight attendant asked once the plane reached cruising altitude. Sookie frowned at the question. "We have types O negative, AB positive, and AB negative available. Once we are flying over international waters, a donor will be available to you," she explained.

"Have I ever had AB negative?" Sookie asked her Bonded curiously.

"No. I believe you have mostly had the O's, and that first one you drank was a B positive. Your donors have all been AB negative though. Curious. It is not an overly common type, but you seem to make a beeline for them," he chuckled.

"Can I try an AB negative, please?" Sookie asked the attendant.

"Of course, Miss," she nodded, returning to the small galley at the end of the aisle.

A few moments later, a warm bottle was in her hand, and Sookie sipped it tentatively, "Hmm, even for synthetic, I like this one the best."

"I will keep that in mind," Eric nodded as the seatbelt light turned off and he quickly pulled Sookie into his lap. "I hope you are not offended that I wish you to be so close in public…?"

"It's fine. I sort of wanted to crawl onto you this whole time," she admitted hesitantly. "Although, the two donors over there are annoying me. I want to bite the guy."

"Excuse me?" Eric's eyebrows rose.

"Not in a sexy or hungry way, in a "go to hell" way. I don't like the way he's thinking about me."

"How is he thinking of you?" Eric asked.

"He wants me to pick him. He thinks he'll get me in the bathroom cause his blood has gotten so many compliments from vamps. He's not AB neg, is he?" she asked forlornly.

"No. A positive."

"Thank goodness. There's no temptation for me then," she laughed.

"Neither of the donors is AB negative," Eric offered. "The girl is O positive."

"Maybe I'll just stick with the TrueBlood. After the incident on the tarmac, I don't know if I could keep control if I fed on a human. I'm still angry. He could have killed my girls," Sookie scowled.

"I am amazed he did not," Eric agreed. "With the force he used to flip those crates, it should have shattered them and the girls along with them."

"Eric," Sookie frowned thoughtfully, "what does V do to dogs or other animals?"

"I have always heard that it is normal blood to animals. For the two-natured, their animal instincts are heightened in human form, and they are more powerful in their animal form," he explained. "Why?"

"Well," Sookie grimaced, "with all the crying I've been doing lately, the girls have licked up my tears more than a couple times."

"I see," Eric frowned. "You think they survived the blitz because they have consumed your blood."

"The thought crossed my mind," she confessed.

"It would be an interesting question to raise to Ludwig… We will summon her once we are settled in at the estate."

"We're staying with the King of Sweden?" Sookie asked in surprise.

"Only for a short time," Eric replied. "Perhaps three days or so. Then we will continue on to my property in Öland." 

"Where's that?"

"An island just off the mainland. It is comfortably populated."

"Cool."

Their conversations switched between light and extensive throughout the evening. Eric distracted his Bonded with more tales of mythology and magic when he felt her anxiety beginning to rise, but mostly soothed her with his presence and touch. When it was time to retreat to the hull, Sookie took her time preparing for death by talking to Mags and Junes some more.

"Are these their passports?" Sookie asked, pointing to the pamphlets on top of the cage.

"Yes," Eric nodded.

"They look pretty official."

"They are," Eric agreed. "I had the forms expedited last night and they were delivered this afternoon. I grabbed them from the front door drop box before loading up the car."

"Dang, Northman, you work scary fast when you want something!" Sookie whistled as she finished saying "goodnight" to her dogs and came to the two body sleeper coffin that Eric was holding open. He insisted she go to rest on the hinged side so that he could operate the locks easier when it was time to rise. "Fine by me," she easily relented, "I haven't had the chance to build a preference for things like that," she laughed. "Although I'm used to sleeping on your right side," she confessed.

"You will not even notice," Eric laughed while kissing her forehead and then her lips. Satisfied from his kisses, Sookie slipped into the coffin and wrapped her arms around Eric's waist when he joined her. Closing the lid and setting the locks, Eric held Sookie firmly against his side, "Comfortable?" he asked.

"Snug as a bug," Sookie confirmed, nuzzling her face into his ribs. "I'm kind of relieved to be dying for the day." 

"Oh?"

"The anticipation is getting the better of me. I'm worried and excited all at the same time. It's like going to bed on Christmas Eve when you're a kid, scared you won't get that _one thing_ you really wanted, but excited that you might."

"I see," he laughed. "Well, by the time you rise, we will only be airborne a few hours longer before reaching our final destination."

"Good to-" Sookie succumbed mid-sentence to the sun, and Eric chuckled to himself as he settled in for several hours with nothing to preoccupy himself.

Rather than going into "down time," as Sookie jokingly referred to it, Eric chose to reflect on the peculiar survival of Mags and Junes. Eric had witnessed the force with which Jorge had smashed into the cages, the dents and cracks alone testifying to the brutality, and the vampire could not fathom how both dogs had lived with so little damage. If they had been broken and bleeding, but still alive, Eric might have believed _that_ possible. However, only a few tender muscles and a sprained paw?

Eric shook his head in disbelief. Either his Bonded's luck had finally shifted for the better, or vampire tears had somehow made the canines strong enough to walk away from the attack. Still, the latter possibility seemed impossible. There had been plenty of tests and experiments over the centuries about the effects of vampire blood on animals. The only creature aside from humans that had any reaction were mosquitos, and all vampire blood did to the annoying insects was kill them instantly.

Shaking his head ruefully at Sookie's good fortune, Eric took her hand in his and began playing with her fingers pensively. He was grateful. Despite knowing that Mags and Junes would be gone forever in a short time, he was glad that Sookie had not experienced them being torn from her so violently and so soon. She needed more time with them. His Bonded had been perfectly honest at Fangtasia the other night. Whether or not it was true, Mags and Junes had saved her mind, perhaps even her life. Without their stalwart support, she might have broken long before Eric had come into the picture. If she had not become the true shell she thought herself to be, she might have not been as receptive to him when he finally entered her world.

' _I wish I could make them stay with you forever, Dear One,'_ he thought sadly.

Gladly he would keep the dogs around forever for Sookie. Their existences would not be a burden upon him, knowing how Sookie loved them. Trent had been quite accurate in classifying Mags and Junes as Sookie's daughters. She loved them like a mother, worried for them to an extreme that she put their comfort at the forefront of her mind. Sookie was prepared to go through the pain of loss once again, just so her face would be the last one they knew when it was time for them to leave this world.

Eric laughed to himself as he realized that the two dogs had managed to worm their way into his own heart. Not just for the appreciation he felt for their loyalty to Sookie, but the pleasant enjoyment of their company. As if they could read the room, Mags and Junes knew when it was time to play and be carefree, or merely lounge quietly like furniture and allow the mood to be warm and content.

 _'I suppose I would not mind keeping you forever either.'_

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please review! -Andi**


	27. Chapter 26

Never End

 _A/N: Long ass chapter for all of you tonight! Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! They were fun and entertaining to read. Hope to have bunches more to read when I wake up in the morning!_

 _As always, thanks to **msbuffy** for the editing and going above and beyond with the swedish translations. I refused to do it. All I have is google translate at my disposal and I do not trust it! _

_-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty-Six: The Devourer**

"Eric Northman!"

Sookie stood shyly behind her Bonded as an impressive stature of a man greeted them in the main entrance of a rather regal estate. His golden beard and broad face were surprisingly kind for a vampire.

"Frøkn," Eric grinned back as he and the King bowed their heads to one another, "Detta är min lagerförråd, Sookie _(This is My Bonded, Sookie.)_."

"En sådan vacker varelse _(Such a beautiful creature.)_ ," Frøkn gave her a quick appraisal. "Jag kunde se henne som önskvärt att andra, utan att gå så långt för att du var tvungen att fly från Nordamerika? Att jag har svårt att förstå _(I could see her as being desirable to others, but to go to such lengths that you had to flee North America? That I have difficulty understanding.)_ ," he admitted.

"Vi hade ytterligare svårigheter på vår avresa. Jag måste informera er om att vi var accosted på asfalten. Jag var tvungen att döda Jorge San Diego. Han försökte ta henne från mig, rätt där på planet _(We had further difficulties at our departure. I must inform you that we were accosted at the tarmac. I was forced to kill Jorge San Diego. He attempted to take her from me, right there at the plane!)_!"

"Du kan inte mena allvar _(You cannot be serious!)_!" Frøkn frowned disapprovingly. "För vilket ändamål _(For what purpose?)_!?"

"Jag har inte den vagaste begreppen _(I do not have the vaguest idea.)_ ," Feeling Discomfort in the Bond, Eric remembered how easily he had fallen into his native tongue and glanced ruefully at Sookie. "I am sorry, Dear One. Old habits. Sookie, this is Frøkn, the Vampire King of Sweden."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir," Sookie forced her voice to sound clear and steady.

"The pleasure is all mine, Northman's Mate," Frøkn inclined his head to her. "Your accent is very charming."

"Yours is amazing! You speak English better than I do," she jested timidly.

Frøkn and Eric both laughed at her joke, her Bonded stroking her hair reflexively. "I hope that we can all get better acquainted tomorrow evening, but seeing as it is nearly five in the morning, I would appreciate a chance to get my Bonded settled in for the day," he suggested.

"Yes, of course," Frøkn nodded, understanding. "Please, any room you would feel the most comfortable in, feel free to take shelter. Stay as long as you need."

"We will be leaving at the end of the week for Öland."

"Ah, I remember, you have an estate there, yes?" Frøkn asked.

"Yes. It is mostly equipped for our stay, but a few renovations need to be made before our arrival. Would you be so kind as to direct me to a good contractor?"

"Certainly," the King nodded. "I will have his information prepared for you this evening."

"Thank you."

"Thank you," Sookie piped in.

"There is also the matter of Sookie's dogs," Eric added hesitantly.

"If you would like, the room on the east end of the third floor has a suite. I can have the day crew handle the needs of your pets while you are at rest. The lightproof chamber is secure against entry during the day, so you will be perfectly safe," Frøkn assured.

"You are most kind," Eric nodded.

"Please, rest and relax in my home for as long as you desire. It will be good to catch up again, right, Northman?" he laughed.

"Yes. Thank you," Eric nodded and turned toward the door just as Mags and Junes came bounding into the foyer. "Ah, these are her dogs, Mags and Junes," he gestured to the animals. The pair skidded to a halt at Sookie's side and immediately sat down though their eyes and ears flicked to and fro, taking in the sounds and sights of the new room. Their noses twitched with new scents, but they seemed more excited rather than scared.

"Beautiful animals," Frøkn nodded with a chuckle. "Well behaved, too, it would seem."

"Quite," Eric agreed. "We shall take that suite you mentioned. Until tomorrow evening."

Departing the entryway with an assistant carrying their luggage while simultaneously showing them to their room, Sookie took Eric's hand in hers. She squeezed it nervously while they walked up the stairs, Mags and Junes trailing behind them.

When they were alone, bags on the ground and dogs jumping onto furniture, Sookie let out a long sigh. "That was nerve wracking," she laughed, a little baffled.

"You were charming as ever," Eric pulled her toward the bedroom.

"I was practically a shadow," Sookie contested.

"You did not portray your unease at all," Eric assured. "You were lovely and sweet while still being humorous. As I said, you were charming, despite being quiet."

"I guess," Sookie accepted.

"Being sociable does not mean you need to be pressed for speech," Eric reminded her. "Sometimes being social is about listening and you have always been good at that."

She rolled her eyes before barking on a short laugh, "Yeah, I really never had a choice on that one." Glancing at the clock, Sookie sighed, "The sun will be rising soon. We should probably finish getting settled in."

"Ah, first I would like to call upon Dr. Ludwig. After the incident at the airport, I would feel much better if she looked you over," Eric suggested apologetically.

Sookie groaned, but nodded in consent, "Fine. If it will make you feel better."

"It will," he kissed her forehead before going to the phone on the bedside table and making the call, "Dr. Ludwig, this is North-... Yes... Yes, we did... There were events occurring. I had to get Sookie out of the States... Yes... Yes, something happened at our departure. I have something for you to review. I will give it to you after you have looked over Sookie... Yes... Thank you," he hung up the phone and turned to his Mate. "She will arrive shortly."

 ***POP** *

"Apparently very shortly," Eric chuckled, turning his head toward the door and waiting for Ludwig to come into the bedroom. When she did not appear immediately, the Viking frowned and took Sookie's hand, leading her into the common room of their suite. "Doctor?" he called curiously, spotting the small creature standing before the couch, frozen. "Is something wrong?" he asked at the shocked and terrified expression on her face.

"These dogs," Ludwig whispered. "They are yours?"

"Sookie's," Eric answered. "Why?"

The doctor shook her head quickly, and turned her attention to Sookie and Eric, "Nothing, none of my business, I suppose. Let me look your Mate over," she suggested.

Sookie came to the couch, sitting between Mags and Junes who promptly put their heads in her lap. Ludwig cringed slightly, but shook off her discomfort so that she could begin the examination.

"Your temperature has gone up slightly," Ludwig sighed. "That is interesting. You said something about reviewing some sort of material?"

Eric extracted the small disc sleeve from his jacket pocket and handed it to the doctor. "This is only meant to be viewed by _your_ eyes. I do not want any copies made, and I wish to have it returned to me by tomorrow night," he explained before handing over the disc.

"Of course it is only for my eyes," Ludwig snapped before snatching the disc from his fingertips. "I will look it over immediately and it will be returned as you have requested. As for this one," she jerked her head at Sookie, "she is in perfect form. Other than a slight increase in her warmth, I sense no particular wear. Would you like me to take a blood sample to examine alongside this document?"

"Please," Sookie requested. "I would rather walk the line of caution and redundancy than miss anything."

"Smart girl," Ludwig crowed approvingly, digging into her black medical bag and taking out a syringe. Sookie did not bother offering a limb. Ludwig merely jabbed her, pulled the plunger, and then forced the red fluid into a vial. "Very good. I will have a report for you first thing tomorrow evening."

"Thank you, Doctor," Sookie smiled appreciatively.

"You two get settled," Ludwig suggested. "These past evenings have been far too stressful for a Youngling like yourself. It's a miracle you have not gone rampaging yet."

"Please don't say "yet," Sookie laughed nervously. "You make me feel like it could happen."

Ludwig's eyes turned stony, "It could very easily happen if you are put under much more strain. I would say that your composure is rather miraculous under these circumstances."

Sookie's eyebrows rose and replied almost shrilly, "What do you mean? I'm fine!"

Looking to Eric, Ludwig raised her eyebrows and tilted her head at the young vampiress questioningly.

"She actually is fairing extremely well, all things considered, especially after the events that transpired last night," he nodded toward the disc he had handed Ludwig. "I dare say that this is the most level she has been since her rising, perhaps even before that."

"Strange," Ludwig whispered to herself. "Well, I will be going now. I will return at first dark."

"Thank you," Eric nodded to her, and the small doctor vanished immediately.

"Am I really capable of going on a stress-induced rampage?" Sookie asked quietly.

"You? I doubt it, Dear One," Eric laughed. "If that were to happen, it would have happened at the Shreveport terminal."

"I suppose," Sookie remembered the anger and fear that had consumed her when she saw her dogs' crates rolling across the airfield. "In a way, it sorta did," she realized with a gasp. "Eric! That thing I did to Jorge! What if _that_ is how I rampage? What if I just burned it out of me in that one move-"

"Shh," Eric hushed her, "we cannot speak of those things here."

"I thought we were safe?" she whispered.

"We _are_ , but anything to do with…your uniqueness is better only discussed in the privacy of our own home," he explained.

"Walls have ears," she whispered.

"And keyholes have eyes," he agreed.

"Okay, should we get ready for bed?" she asked.

Smiling at the suggestion, Eric nodded, "Yes, that sounds perfect."

"How long until dawn?" she asked.

"It will be very, very soon," he told her, pushing Sookie toward their bed and securing the door behind them. "Only another ten minutes or so."

"Dang, that's early!" Sookie frowned.

"Yes," he agreed. "Just wait until December. The sun sets before three in the afternoon and does not rise again until nearly nine in the morning!" he laughed as he began to disrobe. Sookie followed suit and they crawled, naked, into bed.

"Ooh, that sounds like fun!" Sookie laughed as she curled into his side.

"It will be," he agreed, but laughed to himself when he felt Sookie succumb to the sun before he had finished his remark.

{†}

"Good evening," Eric purred as Sookie arose abruptly, fully awake and raring to go.

"Evening," she grinned up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You seem in spectacular spirit," he noted playfully as she tugged his lips towards her own.

"You bet I am," Her legs wound around his waist as her mouth captured his.

Eric groaned as Sookie's tongue tangled with his own and he pressed his hips tightly against her. Her pelvis rocked gently in response.

"Why does it feel as if I have not had you in so long?" Eric mumbled against her mouth as his hand reached down to stroke between her folds. "Gods, Sookie, you have only just risen and you are already wet for me!" His fingertips gently rubbed her clit causing her to arch beneath him.

"Oh, please!" she gasped at the attention he was giving her, holding him tighter with her arms and legs. Soon he was drawing back, and then slipping his length inside of her until their hips were pressed tightly together.

Sookie wriggled beneath him when he did not begin thrusting, aching delightfully at being forced to wait. Instead of focusing on moving his hips, Eric occupied his attention on her breasts. With just the right tug on her nipple, he could feel her walls contract around him. A firm suckle earned a sharp buck beneath him.

Tracing his tongue up her breast, he nibbled her collar bone, continuing toward her throat where he let his fangs pierce her skin. Her blood trickled into his mouth and Eric moaned with delight. Even as a vampire, her blood was delicious though it offered no nourishment. His Mate shuddered enthusiastically beneath him, and he felt her walls thrum wildly.

"That made you cum?" he laughed gleefully.

"I always cum when you bite me!" she protested weakly.

"I suppose I never noticed," he said. "I usually saved that for the end when you were mortal."

"I like it when you save it for the end," she told him cheekily. "It makes the orgasm go on longer."

"Ah, now that I did notice," he chuckled, finally beginning to move his hips. "What if I bit you again? Would you cum?"

"I don't know," she confessed, gasping as his strokes became short and quick. "I would have been too worn out as a human to find out."

"But you are no longer human," he pointed out. "Shall we test this theory?" he teased before encasing the other side of her throat in his mouth and spearing it.

Once again she contracted violently around him in a rhythmic pulse. "Oh, that is nice!" he groaned. "I could just bite you over and over, never even thrusting. Your sex would pump me all on its own."

Sookie whimpered at the thought, and when her clenching began to slow, Eric bit her breast and repeated the cycle all over again. Her left breast, her right shoulder, her left shoulder, then, finally directly over her nipple. The intensity that orgasm brought flung Eric into oblivion and he roared into her ear as her body dragged him over the edge with her.

"Oh, Sookie," he tugged her earlobe with his blunt teeth, "your body is marvelous!"

Another mewl was all she could offer in reply until the contraction subsided, and she could finally wiggle out from beneath him, "Don't do that too often, Eric," she pleaded. "It was _amazing_ , but I like it better when I work up to a release."

Eric grinned at her comment, "Another time, would you like me to make you wait?"

"How do you mean?" she asked him curiously.

"What if I fucked you for _hours_ , Sookie, and you only were allowed to cum _once_?" he explained.

"Let's try for one hour, and see if I don't beat the hell out of you for it," she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"Sounds promising," he chuckled. "Shower?"

"Shower," she agreed, climbing out of bed and following him to the en suite. He ravaged her again between shampoo and conditioning, and then a third time after he had finished washing her body. Once they were clean, he threw Sookie back onto the bed and straddled her waist. "Oh, you're not going to get me all dirty again, are you?" She batted her eyelashes at him coyly.

"The thought crossed my mind," he taunted, reaching down to squeeze her breasts.

 ***POP** *

"Oh, I take it I am early," Ludwig frowned at the naked vampires and their positions.

Sookie looked to her left to see the small creature standing at the foot of their bed, then back to Eric straddling her with his semi-hard cock resting on her sternum. "Oh my _God_!" Sookie shouted in embarrassment as she tugged a sheet over her and Eric.

"I suppose I should have called to remind you, but you did say first dark," Ludwig snickered.

"Please, please just let me get dressed!" Sookie begged.

"Oh, it's nothing I haven't seen, baby vampire," Ludwig waved off the young vampire's distress.

"Yeah, well, right now it's humiliating to me," Sookie grouched. "I still have this terrible human necessity to keep my intimacy _private_."

"Of course, of course," Ludwig rolled her eyes. "Well, considering the matter you wished me to look into cannot be discussed, I have written up a report for your review. I have a copy of that report in the event you wish to burn this one after you have examined it. Here is your material and the paperwork. Call if you need anything else."

With that, Ludwig vanished, and Sookie flung her arm over her eyes in frustration before letting out a small bark of a laugh, "Well, it was good while it lasted."

When Eric did not reply, Sookie uncovered her eyes and found him with the open folder in his hands while he remained sitting astride her. Confusion was ringing through the Bond, but Sookie was relieved to find no Concern or Anxiety.

"Everything okay?" Sookie asked.

"Read for yourself," Eric handed her the document.

~ _My opinions after studying and evaluating the materials submitted have lead me to the theory that_ somehow _Ms. Stackhouse is still capable of utilizing the Fae ability known as "Fairy Light." This is particularly noteworthy due to the fact that "Fairy Light" is a concentration of energy that emits the same rays that cause vampires to combust in the presence of the sun. Seeing that neither Sookie Stackhouse nor Eric Northman were negatively affected by this energy causes further inquiry to their inability to be harmed by the sun. Seeing as Ms. Stackhouse remains incapable of rising during the daylight hours, further tests cannot be conducted in regard to possible immunities. I would like the opportunity to consult with an outside source regarding a possible testing platform. Please call me after you have made your decision. The consultation will remain between the four of us, and I assure the utmost discretion will be maintained.~_

"I know we can't really discuss this, but what do you think about the very last part?" Sookie asked.

Eric shook his head, "On one hand, I am certain she would keep this matter confidential and whomever this second party is would not be someone she would expect to breach the confidentiality. On the other hand, the notion of bringing in someone else, even on consultation for this, is disconcerting."

"Agreed," Sookie nodded. "Still, if she thinks this person could benefit the situation…?"

"It will not be decided until we are in Öland," Eric stated firmly.

"Okay, we'll just leave it there for now," Sookie knew that Eric was feeling strained though masking it much better than her.

{†}

"So, young one," Frøkn addressed Sookie, "I understand that you are only several evenings old now. How are you finding your new existence?"

Sookie reclined into the arm Eric had draped over her shoulder, "Honestly, it's been real overwhelming." The king nodded gravely at her admission. "My transition wasn't exactly what you would call a smooth one."

"This was not planned? How unlike you, Northman!" Frøkn laughed.

Shimmying in her seat uncomfortably, Sookie confessed, "I was mortally wounded on the job. Eric was forced to turn me."

Eyebrows rising in interest, Frøkn asked, "What was your occupation?"

"I was a police detective with the Shreveport P.D."

"Intriguing! My condolences for your loss," he offered.

"Thank you. Like I said, it was very unexpected. Eric and I had planned to wait a year or two before bringing me over. I probably would have tried to put it off even longer. I was sort of dependent on my job. You could say it was more of a calling than an occupation."

"Those who serve their community are usually inclined to agree with you," the king nodded in understanding. "Your sacrifices are admirable, I dare say, much more strenuous than vampire law enforcement. Your Mate was a vampire Sheriff, as I am sure you know. Nonetheless, even with his age and reputation, he would not have nearly the amount of complications that I would assume crossed your path. For most situations, he has the privileges to investigate, pass judgement, and punish at his leisure."

Eric laughed, "You make it sound like I was performing executions on a nightly basis!"

"A century or so ago, I might have implied just that," Frøkn jibed. "However, from the time when his Maker bonded, Northman has mellowed significantly. As they say, happiness for one, happiness for all."

"Yes, basking in Godric and Emily's relationship did have a rather soothing effect on me," Eric admitted begrudgingly. "Still, the happiness that Sookie has brought me is far, far greater."

"You are so lucky," Frøkn bemoaned, "to have found your Mate so young! I am nearly thrice your age and have not yet had the privilege."

"Perhaps if you left your estate more than once a month?" Eric suggested in faux innocence.

Frøkn laughed at the suggestion, "Perhaps you are correct. I _have_ reigned over Sweden a very long time now. However, the leisure it brings me is quite luxurious. You see," he turned back to Sookie, "many vampires flock here in the winter months due to the lengthy nights. Still, though the temperatures can become quite frigid, it is imperative that we maintain constant public acceptance. We are quite dependent on a capacity to stay warm enough not to freeze to the spot and be trapped by the rising sun. Visitors adhere to a very strict guideline near the Arctic Circle to bask in the many advantages. That means that the Nordic countries have some of the most well-behaved vampires in the world. Well, Northern Canada, too, I suppose," he chuckled.

"You do seem far less severe than the vampires I'm used to," Sookie offered. "You are very personable."

"Oh, well, United States vampires have become a rather painful thorn in Europe's side. No offense."

"None taken," Sookie assured.

"You see, a great deal of the vampires in the States are having a similar issue as those in China. Those countries are just too large for one vampire to reign over, and the necessity for several kings and queens in a single country causes great strain on the chain of command. Since the States are one country, they may only send a single representative to the International Summit. That causes a great animosity between all of those regents! There is the added problem that vampires old enough and experienced enough to reign do not wish to deal with the headaches your humans cause. Those... Oh, what are they called? Foots?"

"FoTS? The Fellowship of the Sun?" Sookie supplied.

"Yes! Them!" Frøkn nodded. "I hear they give the States' vampires severe issues."

"Definitely," Sookie agreed. "I helped with a raid on one of their armories two years ago. They were developing silver shrapnel bullets."

"Deplorable," Frøkn shook his head sadly. "You must understand, Sookie, there are many of us who have grown old enough to realize that being a vampire does not make us privileged. I know you probably find that hard to believe, given the environment in which you were introduced to the culture, but it is true. Godric and Russel Edgington are probably the only two on that continent old enough to have come to that realization. Oh, there is Eshe. She is still part of the North American Council, yes?"

"Yes, but she is in Canada," Eric replied.

"Eshe?" Sookie asked.

"Diedra Thorn," Eric told her.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot all about that name change," Frøkn chuckled. "I will actually be conference calling her with the European Council shortly. Would you two like to sit in?" he offered.

"That would be appreciated. We will not interject unless instructed, of course," Eric assured.

"I appreciate that," Frøkn nodded.

"Do you mind if I slip away before that conference and call this contractor you have found for me, Frøkn?" Eric asked

"Of course not, go right ahead. Here," he lobbed his phone to Eric. "Why don't you and your Mate wander a while? I will send someone for you before beginning the conference."

"Thank you," Eric rose with Sookie and they stepped out of the sitting room. "That is a relief," he sighed once they were alone and out of earshot.

"What is?"

"Frøkn did not try to keep you alone with him. He practically pushed you out the door with me."

"What does that mean?" Sookie whispered.

"It is a silent way of saying he does not wish to give me any reason to doubt him. A comforting gesture, to be honest. He respects the hardships we have gone through and is going to great lengths to assure us he will not laden us with further injustices."

"I'm glad you have a friend here," Sookie smiled though it did not reach her eyes.

"Yes," he agreed.

Eric quickly made the call to the contractor Frøkn had retained for him, and was relieved to find that the necessities that required immediate action could be accomplished in a single evening. They would be able to leave for Öldan the next night.

"What did you need?" Sookie asked.

"General walkthrough," Eric shrugged, "and a lightproof check on our resting chamber. Everything else we can take care of ourselves. I just want to be sure that the security system is still operational, the locks are still resilient, and our resting chamber secure so we are not trapped there during the day. I can perform my own grounds check after we arrive and then take care of other things as needed."

"Mr. Northman," a cool, professional voice called from down the hallway. A platinum blonde woman approached them in quick, human stride, "His Majesty is ready to begin the call upon your arrival in his study. If you will follow me?"

"I remember the way," Eric nodded in a respectful, but dismissing manner.

Leading Sookie through the estate, Eric opened a large, wooden door that stretched out into a huge library. Frøkn was seated at his desk and two red, wing-back chairs flanked the massive bureau's corners. The vampire king gestured to the chairs, and both of them sat as Frøkn dialed a series of numbers.

"This is King Frøkn of Sweden. Is the European Council ready?"

" _Yes, Sir,"_ a clipped male voice replied. _"I have Ms. Thorn on the line as well. They are ready to begin when you are."_

"I am prepared."

" _Frøkn, this is Diedra. I understand that you are currently hosting Eric Northman and his newborn Mate?"_

"I am," Frøkn answered. "Might I say that their narrative on what brought them to my door is a troubling one."

" _Could you please elaborate?"_ Diedra requested.

"It seems that your Magister, Jorge San Diego, willfully separated Ms. Stackhouse from her Bonded, threatened her, then proceeded to try to manipulate her into becoming a direct subject of the North American Council."

" _I see,"_ Diedra sounded annoyed. _"I assure you that his actions were not condoned nor requested by our Council. After the trial of the Louisiana Queen, Sophie-Anne Leclerq, Jorge informed us that he had discovered a vampire we could find extremely useful. He did not elaborate on the matter, nor did he tell us whom the vampire was. I can only now assume it was Ms. Stackhouse. Of course, we would never have accepted her as a direct subject unless she came to us with some sort of extraordinary gift, and of her own free will and power."_

"Extraordinary gift?" Frøkn raised his eyebrows at the couple curiously.

" _As I said, the subject was not elaborated on. He wished to present the vampire in question to us directly."_

" _Diedra, this is European Council Member Brauer,"_ a new male voice piped in, _"Are we to understand that your continent's_ _ **Magister**_ _acted upon his own power to separate a freshly-risen newborn from her Bonded Mate?"_

" _So it would seem,"_ Diedra replied shamefully. _"I guarantee that we will look into this situation once Jorge returns to us."_

"That does not seem likely to happen. When Northman and his Mate were fleeing the States, Jorge arrived at the airport, accosted Ms. Stackhouse, and then tried to physically remove her from the airfield. Northman was forced to destroy him. Since the Council's standing on the situation was still unknown to them, they fled," Frøkn supplied.

Brauer's voice blasted over the phone, _"You are harboring the murderer of a Magister!?"_

"I am hosting a vampire that rightfully protected his Mate!" Frøkn roared back. "This Child was only a single night old, and was _forced_ to attend an extremely stressful trial that _should_ have been handled by the Ancient Pythoness! She was then physically, emotionally, and psychologically threatened by a vampire she believed to be her Mate's superior, only to be violently confronted the following evening! We have _never_ put that sort of pressure or anxiety on a newborn! She could have rampaged under that sort of pressure, and then where would we all be?"

" _They should be deported back to the States!"_ a new female voice declared.

" _Why are you allowing this American problem to come to our lands, Frøkn_!?" Brauer demanded.

" _That is enough,"_ Diedra silenced the uproar. _"I will clear things up on my end. I do not see Northman's actions as a threat, but a direct response to protect his Mate. Please inform him, and Ms. Stackhouse, that they have nothing to fear returning to the States, and that no action will be taken against them or their Bloodline. We do not request extradition. If the European Council finds it prudent to send them back, they will be welcomed."_

Frøkn looked to Eric curiously, tilting his head toward the phone as if to ask if the younger male wished to speak. Nodding, Eric rose.

"Northman has something to say," Frøkn announced.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Councils," Eric began smoothly, "Sookie and I appreciate the offer Diedra has given us. However, we wish to remain here in Sweden for a time. Over the course of the past week, I fear that my Mate has indeed felt a great strain, and I believe remaining here is in her best interest. We would deeply value the opportunity to merely exist in comfort and ease for a few years while Sookie adjusts to her new existence."

" _As long as you remain in Sweden, I do not object to you remaining in the European Council's realm,"_ Brauer finally offered after a moment of silence.

" _I concur,"_ the female voice added, joined by several other begrudging agreements.

" _This is settled then,"_ Diedra sighed. _"Northman, I hope you will return to us again soon, someday. North America has suffered a great loss this evening. I promise, upon your return, you will know that you were greatly missed."_

"Thank you, Diedra. I hope to hear from you again soon."

As the call ended, Sookie slumped into her chair.

"Your poor Mate," Frøkn sighed. "She looks positively destroyed!"

"Believe me, Sir, you don't even know how bad this can get," Sookie gestured to herself.

"Here," Frøkn leaned forward to his call button, "let me call a donor for you."

"Thanks," Sookie softly, but graciously replied.

"Does she have a preference yet?" Frøkn asked of Sookie's Mate.

"AB negative if you have it available, but she is not picky," Eric chuckled.

"Anything for you?"

"I am still strong from her turning," Eric assured.

"Of course," Frøkn pressed a button on the paging system before saying, "Theresa, please bring that new donor to my study for Ms. Stackhouse."

" _Yes, Sire,"_ a voice that sounded much like the platinum blonde who had summoned them to the conference call replied.

Moments later, a leggy brunette with blonde highlights strutted into the study on nail thin heels. Sookie squirmed nervously in her presence. The way her tight, short skirt barely fell past the curve of her bottom and the way her bodice sent her breasts reaching for the skies, all while looking bored and complacent, set Sookie on edge. It was not in Sookie's nature to prance around half-naked for the world to gawk at, and she was intimidated by women who did.

"Hur kan jag tjänst du, Sire _(How may I service you, Sire?)_?" the donor purred.

"Den unga som behöver en förfriskning _(The young one needs a refreshment.)_ ," he gestured to Sookie, making her eyes widen.

"Naturligtvis, Sire _(Of course, Sire.)_ ," the offering turned sharply on her needle heels and strolled toward Sookie, who clutched the cushions on either side of her hips for dear life. The way the woman leered at her made Sookie uncomfortable, and the telepath feared she was just about to receive a lap kitten.

"Hon behöver inte tillägg _(She does not need the add-ons!)_!" Eric snapped at the donor. "Erbjuda din hals och vara borta _(Offer your neck and be gone!)_!"

Startled by Eric's command, the donor immediately dissolved her seductive saunter and instead sat neatly at Sookie's side with her back to the vampire.

"D-does she need to be glamoured or something?" Sookie murmured tentatively.

"No, she is a professional donor. She does not need to be glamoured," Eric explained.

"Oh, okay," Carefully, Sookie drew the woman's hair from her neck and nervously looked toward Frøkn before tentatively tracing her tongue along the donor's throat. At the sensation of a pulse against her tongue, Sookie's fangs descended like micro lances to pierce the thin membrane of skin that held her nourishment.

"Ah!" the donor moaned pleasurably, causing Sookie to growl in annoyance.

"Håll tyst!" Sookie snarled against the woman's throat, making Eric's eyebrows rise at her sudden Swedish fluency, even with the awkward articulation of a full mouth. Frøkn looked equally surprised. Nevertheless, Sookie ignored their curious looks and continued to feed. Despite the frustrations this donor was giving her, Sookie had to admit she tasted delicious.

"Sookie," Eric warned, "that is enough."

"But," she raised her eyes to Eric's, and he gasped, and then let out a chuckle.

"Enough for now," Eric encouraged her to disengage the artery, which she did woefully. "Look at those eyes," he whispered as he shoved the human out of the way and traced his Bonded's bloodstained lips with his thumb before kissing her deeply. Sookie's eyes were wide and dilated until she shut them to surrender to her love's lips on her own. After the meal had scrambled out of the study, Eric pulled away to gaze once more into Sookie's ebony eclipsed irises, "She was rather tasty."

"Best one I've had so far," Sookie agreed.

"I do have a knack for keeping good vintages," Frøkn laughed, clapping his hands as if to change the topic. "Well, seeing as you two will be heading to Öland tomorrow evening, perhaps you would like to take your newborn Mate on a tour of Stockholm tonight? If she is still ravenous, there is Vampyr Krog on Strandvågen. Amusingly enough, they do allow dogs there if you would like to take your four-legged companions. The waterfront is quite lovely, even at night. There is also a large park near there though the dogs would have to stay leashed."

"Thank you, that sounds exactly like what Sookie and her dogs need right now," Eric smiled gratefully. "We will see you in a few hours."

Returning to their room to gather Mags and Junes, Eric asked, "When did you start learning Swedish, Dear One?"

"Oh, I've just picked some stuff up here and there listening to you two speak," she pointed subtly to her head.

"I see," Eric laughed. "Well, I was quite impressed."

"I got it right, right? I was telling her to shut up?" Sookie checked.

"You told her to be quiet, but with the sternness of your voice, your irritation was on point. Besides, that form is much better for you to use under those circumstances with the King present."

"Cool," Sookie nodded as she took Mags and Junes' leashes and lead the dogs back out of the room. "Huh, they're hardly even limping now. I thought they'd be wrecked for weeks after what happened the other night."

"As did I," Eric frowned as well. Instead of exploring the topic further, he asked, "Would you rather walk to the wharf or drive?"

"Is it too far for the dogs?"

"Not at all."

"Then I think we should walk. We could always catch a cab back if they're too tired to make it home, right?" Sookie suggested.

"That is fine," he agreed and took her free hand in his as they strolled through the lamplights.

When they arrived at the waterfront, Sookie loosely held the leashes of her dogs as she leaned casually against the rail. She watched the waters shift beneath them and watched the images ripple against the sides of illuminated vessels.

"It's really beautiful," Sookie remarked. "I feel really at ease here, and the girls seem to be comfortable too."

"That they do," Eric replied, wrapping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her against his side. "The scenery is that much more lovely with you here."

"You big flirt," Sookie nudged her shoulder into his ribs, making him laugh.

A beautiful melody of wind chimes sounded nearby, and what seemed like a silent firework flashed in the peripheral of Sookie's vision. When Eric's posture tensed momentarily before relaxing, Sookie's calm broke and she began scenting the air worriedly. The flavor that burst upon her tongue calmed her nerves, but she could not understand why.

"What is it?" Sookie whispered.

"We seem to have a visitor," Eric answered quietly.

"Good evening," a warm voice greeted from behind them, and the pair turned to see a slight, but tall figure approaching them from the park. Sookie took in the stranger's appearance with a critical eye. A powder blue, button down with slate gray slacks, his shoulder-length brown hair fell in ringlets around his beautiful face. He was charmingly handsome, she reluctantly admitted to herself.

"Endymion," Eric greeted gruffly with a nod.

Sookie's back straightened anxiously when she remembered the conversation before leaving to catch their plane.

"A-are you here to mediate?" Sookie stammered nervously.

Smiling, the Voice of the Pantheon shook his head, "No, my presence here has nothing to do with the Magister, your heritage, nor your gift. Well, not this one, at least," he tapped his head.

"You know about that?" Sookie squeaked.

Endymion laughed at her worry, "Of course I do, Mrs. Northman!"

"Oh, I like that so much better than being called "baby vamp" and "youngling"!" Sookie laughed contently, realizing that he had a slight, lilt to his speech.

"I thought you would," Endymion grinned at her impishly, and Sookie could not help but think of him as a mischievous teen rather than a divine being. "My appearance before you this evening actually has to do with those two," he pointed at Mags and Junes.

"Excuse me?" Sookie looked at her dogs, and swiftly knelt to wrap her arms around them protectively. "Just what do you want with my girls?"

"The other evening the Magister caused them to sustain brutal damage, which is forcing me to come before you much earlier than I had planned," Endymion began. "Shall we go sit in the park comfortably? This explanation might take a while, and I would prefer to have as little an audience as possible."

Sookie looked to her Bonded for direction, and Eric merely nodded his head in the line of sight to the park. Turning sharply on his heel, Endymion began the procession, going deep into the darkness where no public lamp post could illuminate them. Once they were seated on a park bench, Mags and Junes with a muzzle on each of Sookie's knees, Endymion began once more.

"To explain my interest in your dogs, I must first explain how they came to be in your care and why. To do that, I must tell you something about The Voice of the Pantheon. You see, there are many Voices between the endless amounts of dimensions for this universe. Many different Endymions if that helps you understand. I protect several of these dimensions, you see, and I have one of the best records for thriving worlds," Endymion smiled ruefully, as if he were actually embarrassed that he might be bragging. "I have two dimensions with a prosperous Elfyria, one of which is extremely successful. To the point, even, that many other dimensions that I am _not_ in charge of can draw off of its magical energy."

"That sounds pretty impressive, even to me, and I don't hardly understand it at all!" Sookie chuckled.

Endymion smiled at her good humor before continuing, "You see, no two dimensions are identical, but the ones I have been charged with are quite parallel with only minute differences between them. I was placed in charge of these dimensions because they have a remarkable symmetry to the world in which I was originally born."

Eric was staring at the Voice with rapt fascination, centuries of curiosities being put to rest.

"Now that you have a vague understanding of my responsibilities, it is time to explain my interest in Mags and Junes. Your Bonded will recognize some of the myth I am about to speak, and I am certain he will be more than surprised by what I say. I ask that you please let me explain and not interrupt," he beseeched of both of them, sighing in relief when they nodded. "There is a Norse legend about two mythological hounds, Garm and Fenrir." Sookie did not miss Eric's posture going rigid. "Garm, the hound that guards Hel, and Fenrir, the devourer of the Cosmos. Part of the legend is that Garm's bay will call all of the souls of Earth to the Underworld, and Fenrir will then devour the Cosmos," The telepath's eyes widened in disbelief that such creatures that could bring forth the apocalypse actually existed, but she kept her mouth sealed as she had promised.

"Garm and Fenrir have so far destroyed twenty-six dimensions in the past three thousand years. This may not seem like much in that context, but when you consider the catastrophic loss as a whole, it is heartrending. For a Voice to lose one of his dimensions, it is the loss of billions of his children in one fell swoop. There is no consoling it. I have known of Voices to be present at the time their world was consumed just so they could end their existences with their children and not know that pain."

A red tear dripped from Sookie's eye, and she tried discretely to brush it away.

"You are sweet to mourn for them," Endymion smiled. "Ten years ago, Garm and Fenrir were planning to reincarnate within another dimension. You see, what makes them so special is, like the Pantheon, they only have _one_ manifestation. That might be why people feel God does not listen," he shook his head regretfully. "The Pantheon is watching over so many people in so many dimensions, that they cannot help everyone who calls to them..." with a sobering clearing of his throat, Endymion got back on topic. "Those ten years ago, I begged Garm and Fenrir to wait just another three years to be reborn. In exchange, I would direct them to a dimension that they would finally have an entirely new experience in. This one."

Sookie's jaw slung open at that, and she clutched Eric's hand worriedly. _'Great, I finally start getting my life together, and now the world's_ _ **literally**_ _going to end!'_

Endymion snorted at what Sookie assumed was her expression, "I have always chosen a hero to overcome the dark possibilities of my dimensions. Whenever possible, that hero has always been _you_ , Sookie."

" _Me_!?" Sookie could not resist her yelp. "Why me!? I'm just- just," she floundered for a word to describe her miniscule existence, but she could not find one.

"To be considered a viable hero, the subject must overcome a series of trials," Endymion looked at his palms. "In each world I have called upon you, you have overcome so, so much. Overwhelmed, overpowered, insecure, terrified. You still came through for me with grace. You have never let me down, Sookie." Looking now at Mags and Junes, Endymion added, "That was why I knew in _this_ world, you would be the only one that could stop Garm and Fenrir from devouring any more dimensions."

"Mags and Junes… They're… Are they…?"

"The manifestations of Garm and Fenrir? Yes. Why they chose to be born as females, I do not know," he laughed to himself. "Perhaps they wanted a change of pace?"

"But... They're just German shepherds!" she protested weakly, tensing when Eric squeezed her hand.

"Right now, yes. Garm and Fenrir need to be born just like anyone else, but when the lifespan of their vessel expires, they will become the full realizations of their true selves. I have performed similar rebirths for Angels."

"Why did you let them be reborn at all?" Sookie asked.

"They are stronger than me. They do not need my permission, just as the Pantheon does not need my permission to take human vessels around the block for a few decades. Everyone needs a vacation, Sookie," Endymion shrugged.

"So, you're saying, when the shepherd part of Mags and Junes dies, our world is going to end?" Sookie asked tightly.

"No."

"But you just..."

"I said that they will take their full manifestation. Thankfully, I was very, very right about this version of you," Endymion grinned at her. "You see, you loved Garm and Fenrir so much as Mags and Junes, and treated them so well that they don't want to _stop_ being Mags and Junes. They want to love you forever, Sookie. When their mortal bodies expire, they want to stay the image of your shepherds. It is their vow that as long as this world has you in it, they will not end it. Seeing as they can only exist in one dimension at a time and that you are immortal, this means no more dimensions will ever be devoured again."

Eric looked between the two dogs that were staring up at Sookie with tentative stillness. Suddenly, he realized why Endymion was telling them this _now_ of all times. The Magister's attack _had_ been enough to kill Sookie's dogs. The host vessels were too damaged, and soon Garm and Fenrir would erupt from their dormancy.

Gazing at his Bonded, he felt a burst of love and happiness, and it stunned him into the same stillness that Mags and Junes were experiencing.

"I get to keep my girls!?" Sookie sobbed happily as she buried her face between the two dogs' heads. "I get to keep you forever!?" she asked around chest rattling cries. "You're not leaving me... You're not leaving!"

"Shh, shh," Eric tried to calm her back down from her hysterics, though this ecstatic joy was far more welcome than her distress of the past few weeks had been. His hand was stroking her back soothingly as he took in the importance of his Bonded's existence.

"You're staying with me forever, babies," Sookie continued, oblivious of Eric's attempts to quiet her. "I love you so much! We'll make the whole dead for the day thing work-"

"Ah, well," Endymion stopped her there, "that will not exactly be an issue. Once they are fully manifested, they will not have the requirements of normal dogs. They will not need to be fed, or let out to evacuate themselves. After they have completed their transition, they will probably prefer to guard you while you are at rest."

"Um," Sookie held the dogs' heads to her breasts, covering their ears, "are they sentient?"

Endymion laughed, "To a degree. They maintain memories, they can be reasoned with to an extent, but for the most part, you should just think of them as dogs. Garm and Fenrir were not bad animals, they were just feared. They had powers that no human or supernatural could comprehend, and they were shunned from love and affection. Even as puppies, no one wanted them. In all of their incarnations, they have never had an owner. They were abandoned and grew into feral dogs. When their hosts' bodies shut down, they were filled with anger at the worlds they were born into, and they destroyed those worlds. Like any other creature, all Garm and Fenrir wanted was to be loved. They know as well as you do what a treasure love is, how covetable."

"Who couldn't love these faces!" Sookie crooned at her dogs and kissed their noses.

"No one but you," Endymion assured. "The second you adopted them, you changed their whole existence. Their first scrap of affection to the first love of their lives. No matter what dimension I call upon you, Sookie, you never let me down."

Rising from the bench, Endymion smiled down at the four he was walking away from, "I do not know how much longer their vessels can remain, but I suspect it will not be much longer. With hope, they can manage to hold on until you arrive in Öland tomorrow evening. I want you to know that even though they might cry out as their host bodies die, Mags and Junes are in no pain. All right?"

"Thanks, Endymion," Sookie smiled up at him, her eyes red with more unshed tears. "You gave me a very great gift."

"It is you who is giving a gift to this entire dimension, and all the dimensions. No more Cosmos will ever be devoured by these two so long as you exist in this world. I will be addressing the International Council on the matter and explain the miracle you have given all of us," With that, the Voice turned to leave, but paused when Sookie called out to him one last time.

"Endymion!" Sookie rose from the bench, reaching for the Voice. "Why do you always pick me? Not that I'm complaining or anything. I only have to experience this stuff once, personally, but why is it always me?"

Smiling shyly, the Voice murmured, "Because you were my hero long before I ever became the Voice of the Pantheon."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: I can't kill dogs. I won't. You can't make me. I refuse. Remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	28. Chapter 27

Never End

 _A/N: I'm glad you all are so happy about Mags and Junes! Like I said, I can't kill a dog, and my first beta reader and I argued over it nonstop. Eventually I told them exactly what I stated at the end of the last chapter, "You can't make me kill them!". Thankfully my beautiful editor, **msbuffy** , who also did her magic with this chapter has she did all the rest, took my side a reaffirmed what I believed to be a better idea! So, please enjoy the next chapter and thanks again to **msbuffy** for her fabulous work!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven: Home**

"Shh, shh," Sookie soothed Mags and Junes as they lay on their sides trembling. "It's all right, girls, I'm right here."

"Endymion said they would not be in pain," Eric reminded gently, sitting on the floor beside her in their Öland residence and placing his hand on her hip in a comforting manner.

The pair of dogs had held on admirably while Sookie had carefully set their crates in the middle of the living room and encouraged them to come out to her. Both collapsed onto the floor once they exited the cages, and Sookie immediately curled onto the floor, pulling Mags to her chest and Junes behind the curves of her knees.

"That doesn't mean they aren't scared," Sookie crooned, reaching behind her to stroke Junes' head."When I was bleeding out in the police station, I wasn't in pain. I knew I wasn't going to really _die_ , but I was still so afraid. It's not an easy thing, no matter if you won't be gone for good."

"It was so long ago for me that I suppose I had forgotten. To be honest, when you were on the floor at the station, I was so terrified that you would not give me your consent I was too preoccupied to feel your own trepidations," Eric confessed.

"I was very scared," Sookie tried to explain. "Now? I think I'm finally coming back down. Being so afraid as long as I have, to the degree I have… This is nice. I want to keep feeling this way."

"After Endymion announces our circumstances to the International Council, I can assure you that you will never feel safer," Eric smiled down at her, squeezing her hip in his hand.

"You think? What if there's someone out there who's suicidal and wants to watch the world burn? What if a human who doesn't know any better, comes at me with a stake?" Sookie continued.

"First off, no vampire who is suicidal wishes to take the universe with them. Vampires are masters of their own universe, and those who choose to meet the sun are usually quite…serene."

"If you say so," Sookie sighed. "Honestly, I don't care if I have to watch my back every night for eternity. I was prepared already to do that as a cop, and I'm prepared to do that as Mags' and Junes' redeemer. Haha!" Sookie shook her head amused. "Who would have thought my dogs would give me such purpose! To think, it has nothing to do with my telepathy!"

"To think," Eric added, "it had everything to do with all that love I saw inside of you, just looking for an aim."

"I guess I really was a Bullet of Destiny. I was aimed toward Mags and Junes, and you. Three individuals I would love unconditionally who would help me protect the whole world, the whole _universe!_ "

"You are every bit the marvel I knew you were," Eric agreed.

Their conversation was ended when Sookie felt her dogs go rigid, and one final, strained exhale rattled each body. Junes' final breath came as a pitiful whine, causing Sookie to brush away a crimson tear. The four of them remained on the floor in complete silence until the stillness grew so overwhelming that Sookie began to breathe just to hear _something_.

Suddenly Eric grabbed Sookie by the waist, and pulled her away from her dogs in a movement so abrupt that it left the young vampire disoriented. As her eyes adjusted to her new position across the room, the bodies of her dogs began to expand. Sookie gasped in surprise as her beautiful shepherds seemed to explode into mammoth beasts, both the size of Clydesdale horses.

Mags was the first to spring to her feet, causing the shelves of the house to rattle. Next, Junes was clamoring up on her long, thick legs. Both were now entirely black, their eyes red as flames while they seemed to shyly look toward Sookie. There was hesitation in their body language, as though they were waiting to see if the love of their lives might run from them in fear.

Sookie darted to the large beasts, pressing her face into Junes' broad chest and stroking the thick matt of black fur before giving the same loving embrace to Mags.

"You're both still my girls," Sookie told them sweetly. "You'll always be my girls… Even though you seem to be boys now!" she laughed through her tears.

As she petted and soothed the dogs, she felt them diminish in size until they were once again the familiar colors and shapes of her beloved German Shepherds. It was not until they were returned to the size more familiar that Sookie noticed the destroyed carcasses beneath their feet. Sookie cringed away reflexively.

"W-what are those?" Sookie gasped.

Eric looked at the pelts that Mags and Junes stood upon and grimaced, "Ah, those would be the remains of your dogs' mortal bodies. They are practically husks though, no blood, no entrails, just the bones, skin, and fur."

Sookie shuddered at the sight, but then reasoned they were no different than taxidermy animals. Still, she begged Eric to quickly dispose of the remains for they unsettled her deeply. Kissing the top of her head, Eric made swift work of removing the carcasses and burying them in the back yard. When he returned, he found Sookie happily talking to Mags and Junes once more.

"So, just to get this straight, which of you is Garm?" Sookie asked. Mags let out a tiny howl that made Sookie grin. "That would make you Fenrir, right, Junes?" Sookie teased while scratching the other dog's ear. Junes let out a low boom. "All right, I just wanted to be sure! You are very strong, handsome boys in your real forms," she complimented, making the dogs spin happy circles. "So other than the whole "ending the world" thing, are there other things you can do?"

"Sookie," Eric interrupted worriedly, "Fenrir is incredibly strong. Perhaps you should ask him to leave the house before displaying his power?"

"I don't doubt that. Junes was always the tank of the two," Sookie laughed. "You aren't _afraid_ of my dogs now, are you, Eric?" she teased.

"It would be arrogant of me to not respect their capabilities," Eric offered, making his Bonded laugh even more.

"Wow, they are, like, super warm now! I'm gonna love having you snuggling me on cold winter nights."

"We are going to need a bigger bed," Eric chuckled.

"They can fit in this shape just fine," Sookie told him.

"I suppose that is true," Eric strode across the room to greet the dogs anew. "You two are not going to become territorial of her now, are you?"

Mags leaned her head into Eric's side, letting out a low groan while Junes slid to the floor to lay down.

"I think they know perfectly well how much I love you. They won't get in the way," Sookie assured him.

Nodding in agreement, Eric gestured to the house. "There were some calls you wished to make once we arrived. Would you like to do that now?" he asked.

"Oh! Trent!" Sookie rushed toward the phone and picked it up, dialing from memory after adding the necessary digits Eric provided earlier that week to call outside the country.

When the call picked up, a confused, _"Hello?"_ graced her ears.

"Trent? It's Sookie! I have so much to-"

" _Sookie? What the hell? Where have you been? Whose phone is this?"_ Trent asked, surprised after not recognizing the number or area code.

"I'm in Sweden! This is Eric's house phone in Öland," she explained quickly.

" _Sweden!? What are you doing there?"_

"It's a super long story that I can't really get into. I'm spending my first year as a vamp here."

" _Safety measure?"_ Trent guessed.

"Sort of," Sookie sighed. "Like I said, it's a very long story."

" _Hey, I'm off work. I got time,"_ Trent laughed.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" Sookie wondered.

The Were laughed, _"It's only seven P.M. here, Sooks."_

Sookie looked at her Bonded worriedly, but he nodded his agreement that she could share their edited story. "I was attacked by the Magister. He was threatening me and threatening to expose my quirks. He glamoured Jason into telling him all about me. Eric and I left to flee to Sweden, but not before the Magister tried to kidnap me at the airfield. Eric killed him, and then we had to run away."

There was a long silence over the phone before Trent rasped gravely, _"Are you fucking kidding me?"_

"Believe me, I could not make up such a story," Sookie whispered back. "We haven't been exiled or anything! The vampire King of Sweden has already conferenced with the European Council and the International vampire rep. We've been cleared of any wrongdoing, but the stress of it all has Eric wanting to keep me in one place for a while. He thinks another big move so soon would be a bad idea, so we decided to stay here for a year."

" _That sucks, Sookie,"_ Trent moaned. _"We all already miss you at the Department. I know you can't come back to work your first year, but we all really wanted to see you before then."_

"I know. Me too," Sookie told him earnestly. "I'll call a ton, I promise."

" _It's not the same,"_ Trent protested. _"Still, it's about time you did something right for you, and if this is what_ _ **you**_ _need, then I'll suck it up and deal. You better call at_ _ **least**_ _once a month."_

"I promise."

" _Good… So, tell me. How is it being a vampire?"_

Sookie spoke to her best friend about her experiences up until that point. She gushed over the speed and strength, but admitted that everything felt remarkably alien. Touches, sounds, smells, but mostly her own body was a labyrinth of riddles.

" _Hehe, it sounds like that first year of yours is gonna be all 'bout figuring out the new responses. Just be careful not to raise too much hell!"_

Sookie laughed right along with him and they talked about a slew of trivial, friendly things. Trent informed her of the cases on which her division was currently working. He went on and on about Murphy secretly glancing at her desk and quietly missing her. Then he went on to explain how Kleinman had gone as far as putting Sookie's service photo on her desk in her absence.

It felt good to still have this connection with her old cadet buddy. Despite being thrust halfway across the world, she felt as though a part of her was still alive in Louisiana. People missed her. People wanted her back in their lives. Vampirism had not changed that. Being the clinical, cold, professional Detective Stackhouse had not kept others from caring for her, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that she had been alone all those years.

"I have to get going, Trent," Sookie told him, her voice thick with emotion as she realized that even before Eric she _had_ been loved. Feeling the breaking of her heart with the realization that it would be a year before she might see any of their faces again only confirmed to Sookie that she had loved them all too.

" _All right, Sooks. Talk to you soon."_

"Yeah," she agreed, "real soon."

With that, she hung up the phone and looked at her Bonded. He was smiling his indulgent I-told-you-so smile.

"What?" she snapped, flicking at an unbidden tear.

Eric shook his head amusedly, "You thought yourself incapable of love this whole time." He actually laughed at that statement. "My silly, oblivious Bonded. No one has ever underestimated anyone as much as you underestimate yourself."

"Oh," Sookie sauntered toward him, her eyes narrowed playfully at the accusation, "and you just had me all figured out from the very beginning?"

"I definitely would not say that," he snickered. "It is just much easier to see someone in denial than for the person to see how they deny themselves."

"People actually care about me," Sookie lost her playfulness and stared pensively at Eric's chest.

"People _love_ you, Sookie. Trent as a brother, Kleinman as a daughter, and your entire precinct loves you. If you could have realized how they looked at you after that Nina Sanchez incident-"

"It was _pity,_ Eric," she protested.

"It was heartbreak," he argued back. "They did not pity you for having to take a life. Their hearts were breaking to see you trying to keep up that impervious façade of yours. No matter how much distance you tried to put between yourself and them, you are a very loveable woman, the cool, sharp detective who never had a mean word for anyone. Perhaps they could not understand the depths of which you strived to do your job, but they could see it. They could respect it."

Sookie gazed across the room while she considered her Bonded's explanation. She thought back, trying to recall the thoughts of her colleagues at the time, but it was impossible. Fear of the images in their heads and the mental condolences had only urged Sookie to push them away. She had not wanted sympathy, nor some artificial regret. The woman had only wanted the opportunity to know her own mind in those moments without the interference of any outside interpretation. That was the part of telepathy that many would never comprehend the frustration, the part that came with not knowing or understanding your own mind.

"I can't say for sure if that's true," Sookie admitted after a moment. "I needed to know how _I_ felt at the time, and I did the best I could to keep others' thoughts out. It's no simple thing, coming to grips with the fact you've killed someone, and then having to also deal with how others may feel about it."

"Their thoughts might have been probable source of comfort for you," Eric replied.

Sookie shook her head, "I didn't want their comfort or assurances. I just wanted to fall to pieces, and then decide how _I_ felt."

Staring pensively at her hands after her Bonded made his point, it was so much easier to deny his claim, so much easier to live in the delusion where she was unwanted and unloved before him. If she did not, then what had been the purpose of her isolation? Why had she denied herself so many things in life? Why had she put herself through so much pain?

Looking at Mags and Junes, Sookie wondered if she could have given the pair of them all of the love that had subdued the rage of Garm and Fenrir if she had not been so reliant upon them. Would she have been able to show them all of her devotion if she had been out with her division getting drinks every other night?

Next she contemplated her Bonded and considered the likelihood that he could have been everything she wanted and needed if she had not stubbornly resisted the love and considerations of those around her prior to his arrival in her life.

Eric tilted his head as Sookie was suddenly overcome with amusement. "What is it, Sookie?" he asked when a small smile tugged at her mouth, and she ruefully shook her head.

"Oh, nothing," she laughed. "I just realized how funny life is. I don't know how many of my decisions pulled me down this path we're on. What I did that mattered, and what I did that just lead to me torturing myself. All I know is it doesn't matter. I've jumped those hurdles. They're in the past, and now I have my Bonded and my girls forever. No matter what I had to go through in the past, or have to deal with along the way, I just realized how blessed I was…" She began laughing almost hysterically. "I've been beating my fists against a wall all these years, and the bricks just tumbled at my feet so suddenly that I almost fell on my face!"

Placing his hands on Sookie's shoulders, Eric smiled down at her gently as he reined in the hysteria with which his Bonded was beginning to bubble over. However, he was particularly encouraging of a meltdown that was so positively provoked. She needed laughter at a time such as this, and as long as he could keep her emotions from overwhelming him, he felt as though he should encourage it.

"Those final walls are finally tumbling down, Dear One. I cannot begin to tell you how happy that makes me," Eric murmured into her hair.

"It's a relief to me," Sookie let out a long breath as if to dispel any lingering venom in her body from previous anguish.

Eric smiled widely, "You know what I always found the most impressive about you, Sookie?" He reached out to play with a tendril of her hair framing her face. "Despite everything you heard, you never allowed others to make up your mind for you."

"I don't know," she told him playfully, "I think you managed to make some decisions for me."

Eric cocked his head to the side as he traced her cheekbone with his thumb, "No, I merely gave you the information you needed to make your own decision."

Smiling at his words, Sookie nodded in agreement, "I think you're right."

Her Bonded shook his head with a laugh, "Sookie, believe me, no one has ever made you do anything you did not want… With the exception of Sophie-Anne, but if we are fair, she gave you very few options."

Nodding sadly, Sookie was inclined to agree. Smiling up at him, Sookie asked joyously, "Want to go out with the girls and see what happens when they cut loose?"

"Admittedly, that is disconcerting, to think of those two "cutting loose"," he laughed.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Speed, strength. Not destruction!" Sookie giggled.

"All right," Eric agreed with a grin. "Let us see what their capabilities are."

{†}

"I can barely keep up!" Sookie moaned, staring at the back end of Junes as Eric chuckled alongside her. "She used to be the slow-poke!"

"They seem to only be warming up," he agreed as they wove through the woodlands.

Mags was nearly a quarter mile ahead of them, putting more and more distance between the trailing trio.

"Mags, slow up!" Sookie called, relieved to see the dark hindquarters growing nearer.

"Sookie, watch it!" Eric snapped as his Bonded nearly ran headlong into a tree. Before the vampiress could react, Junes threw her shoulder into the large Scots Pine. The timber shattered at the force with which it was struck and was flung several yards away. Eric's arms were wrapped around Sookie protectively, but not a single piece of wooden shrapnel imbedded within him.

When the vampire pair looked up, Junes was in her Fenrir form, and shaking out the deadly debris. The wooden shards fell to the ground with a gentle clatter like distant rain.

"She did that so fast, I didn't even see her change shapes!" Sookie gasped.

"Most impressive," Eric kept his watchful gaze on the potential hazard of an impromptu staking.

"Mags, come back!" Sookie called to her other dog, surprised to see the large beast already returning with a slow trot. "Oh, she changed too!"

"So I see," Eric mumbled. "We should head back. We have been at this for hours. The summers here give us short evenings."

"You're right," Sookie pouted as Eric began leading them through the woods at a much slower speed than they had previously traveled.

"I cannot believe how easily she took out that tree," Eric commented. "That was a mature pine nearly six feet thick and she shattered it so casually!"

"What would have happened if I hit it?"

"I was not about to let you do that," Eric chuckled. "But if I had, the damage would have been catastrophic for you at such a young age. You would have taken several evenings to heal, assuming that the impression you made did not manage to stake you."

"I'm more impressed that Junes shielded the shards like that," Sookie told him.

"Yes, that was quite impressive," he agreed.

When they arrived at the house, Eric drew Sookie into the living room and curled her against his chest on the couch. Mags and Junes, once more in their Shepherd forms, flopped lazily on the floor next to the sofa.

"Are you ready for your Swedish lessons before daybreak?"

"Oh, sure," Sookie settled into position with her back against his chest. "I hope I'm a good student. I've never really been good at foreign languages. I took French in high school, but I was terrible at it," she confessed bashfully.

"You have forever to get it right," Eric chuckled. "Besides, if it comes down to it, you always have me for a translator."

"Mmm, sexy translator," she purred, wiggling back against him.

"Hey now," Eric gave her side a firm pat, "lessons now. Play later."

Grumbling to herself, Sookie settled down as Eric began teaching her the basics of his native tongue. She had to admit that listening to him speak in his calm, deep timbre was anything but conducive to absorbing what it was she was meant to learn. Every so often his hands would come to her mouth and squish her lips together to form a word, or gently contract around and guide her throat to create a particular sound to take the "twang" out of her articulation.

"You sound like an American," Eric laughed.

"Imagine that!" Sookie gasped in feigned disbelief. "And stop strangling me already. I know I don't gotta breathe, but that's getting annoying."

"You need to speak more from the back of your throat, not your nose," Eric tried to explain. "Try not to sling your jaw when you speak in Swedish. It is giving you a strange lilt."

"Teck."

"Tack." 

"Talk."

"Tack."

"Tawk?"

Eric laughed, leaning his forehead to the back of her scalp. "I cannot tell if you are teasing me or not."

"I can _tell_ I'm not saying it right," Sookie whined, "but I can't get my mouth to make that noise right."

"Which noise?"

"Tawk."

"It is a 'thanks', Sookie. Not a noise."

"I know what it is," she glowered impatiently. "But my mouth can't say it right."

"All right," he relented. "how about _varsågod_?"

"Yeah, Darlin', I couldn't get one syllable words out proper, and you think I can say _that_?"

"Try," he encouraged.

"Varser cod."

"Gah, there is a Gah, Sookie. Not a 'K'."

"Varser God."

"V _arsågod_ ," he repeated to refresh her memory.

"Varse God," Sookie answered with frustration.

"All right, all right. You are getting angry now. Say your favorite phrase instead."

Loving amusement trilled through the Bond when she stated as cleanly as she could, "Jag älskare dig."

" _Very_ good," he crooned in her ear, incapable of grimacing at her accent when he heard those words from her. "I love you too."

"Can we take a break?" Sookie asked hopefully.

"It has only been an hour or so," Eric protested.

"An hour or so with an easily distracted, Bonded baby vampire," Sookie groaned, arching back against him. "This is too much focus for too long."

"Oh, is that it?" Eric taunted, running his hand up and down her hip. "It has nothing to do with this yearning lust you have been practically shoving into the Bond since shortly after we began?"

"Please?" she tilted her head to try and catch his gaze, fluttering her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Well, the sun will be rising soon," he considered thoughtfully. "And we _do_ need to christen our new bed, yes?"

"Yay!" Sookie turned swiftly in his arms and crushed her mouth to his, smothering his laughter.

Eric's arms immediately snaked around her waist as he began to sit up. When he stood, Sookie's legs constricted over his hips and the older vampire carried her to their bedroom. As he dropped her onto their bed, he grinned down at the woman and asked, "How do you want it, Sookie?"

"Hmm?"

"Fast or slow? Hard or Gentle?"

Sookie gaped at him a moment as she absorbed his question. She was a vampire now, and there was a distinct possibility that she had never even challenged his capacity for 'fast and hard' as a mortal. The curiosity aroused her, and she knew Eric could feel it.

"There is definitely an option that is turning you on. Now which will it be?" he teased as his frame began to drape over hers.

"Fast and hard," Sookie panted beneath him.

Eric growled hungrily at her request, but he wasted no time at responding. Violently, he tore open her shirt and pushed her skirt up past her hips. Sookie gasped at the ferociousness and suddenness of his actions as she was quickly flipped onto her stomach. In the same movement, Eric's hand collided with her backside.

"Ah, Eric," Sookie whined at the pleasant sting of his slap. Her knees instinctively drew to her chest, putting her bottom in the air for his considerations.

"Brace your arms behind your knees, Sookie," Eric instructed even as he pulled her arms to lock into position so that she was prostrating herself before him. Her fingers locked together before pinning her arms between her thighs and calves. "That is perfect," he purred. "Stay just like that and you will not lose any impact."

"You put me in a damn crash landing position," Sookie pointed out.

"Which is exactly what you asked for," he assured as he took step behind her. "And I thank you for that. Your bottom is glorious to behold." His hand caressed the globe before giving it another playful swat with his hand. Before she could cease wriggling from the little pain, she felt his length intruding on her walls.

"Oh!" she cried out at the abrupt invasion. There was no opportunity to recover as he was gone just as swiftly as he arrived. Over and over, a constant state of infinitesimal pressure and relief, every stroke was varied just enough to make a different experience. Sookie could feel one of his hands clutching the space between her neck and shoulder, preventing her from escaping the impact behind her. However, though the speed was impressive, the collisions were underwhelming. She began to wonder where was the 'hard' part of her request.

"Really? You are bored?" Eric laughed. "I suppose you might not be able to appreciate this speed just yet. It is most likely feeling like continuous pressure to you. Unless I do this," his free hand tilted her hips upward until her back arched, forcing her shoulders and neck against the mattress. The effect was instantaneous as Sookie let out a strangled cry, unlocked her hands to clutch at the bedding and her left leg jerked free and kicked him in the thigh. Even as he laughed at her response, Sookie was still garbling around pleasurable sobs. "Not so boring now, am I?" Eric taunted as he curled his chest around her back and bit her ear. "Are you going to get back into 'crash position', or are you done with 'hard and fast'?" Eric asked teasingly as her body continued to flex and twitch beneath him.

"I-I ca-can't," she ground out as his shaft continued its torturous assault on a sensitized pressure point inside of her. "I-I-I-"

"What can you not do, Sookie?" Eric asked as he purposely flexed inside of her and earned an entirely new, guttural sound from her lips. "Oh, is this how I need to teach you to make noises in the back of your throat? That was very good! Now say 'thank you'."

"TACK!" Sookie cried.

"Very good!" he laughed amusedly. "Now get that left leg back where it needs to be and lock your fingers behind your knees."

"Eric," she whimpered as her body convulsed with electrical jolts of pleasure while he continued to torture that part inside of her only he ever managed to find. She could not make her joints move at her will, instead they only came to life in response to his movements. Coiled, compressed, wound, that was how she felt in the moment. Her actions were no longer her own, and she feared the release. "Eric, I-I. STOP!"

His movements ceased immediately as he withdrew. Carefully he turned her over onto her back and looked at her worriedly. "Are you all right?" he demanded, looking her over anxiously as she continued to shake on their bed. "Did I scare you? Was that too much?" he berated letting his dominant side loose on her so strongly, but it had been a long time since he had last challenged his speed and strength sexually.

"Yes," Sookie nodded jerkily as her body trembled. At his heartbroken expression, she immediately tried to explain, "No, no! No, you didn't _scare_ me. I scared myself. Yes, it was too much, but I mean the pleasure, not the aggression. I like you aggressive in the bedroom," she found her body calming as she could finally articulate her feelings. "I don't know what that was, but it was like being on the verge of an orgasm that wouldn't come, and you can just tell it won't. All that energy, it just. It was too much, and it wouldn't let go. I was scared to let it go."

"Like when we first began our intimacy?" Eric tried to understand.

"No, I was scared to cum in the beginning because I was shy. This has nothing to do with shy. I felt like I was going to explode, but in the vampire incinerating kind of way, not the orgasmic bliss way. The only times I've felt that energy was when I was in turmoil, and I guess, getting that feeling like I would explode like that made me panic."

"I see," Eric nodded. "Are you feeling better now?" he asked.

Sookie nodded shakily, "Yeah, I just got overloaded."

"Shall we save 'hard and fast' for when you are more accustomed to your vampire emotions and responses?" Eric suggested.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'm pretty sure if I blew up again it wouldn't hurt you any cause it didn't harm you at all at the airfield, but it still makes me nervous."

"I understand," he assured her. "Do you want to continue slow and gentle, or do you want to relax until dawn?"

"Can we just finish each other off orally? I think I really just need an orgasm to burn off some of whatever this is," she admitted. Eric chuckled and leaned in to kiss her crown before drawing her hips to the end of the bed. "Er, actually, can I do you first? I think I need to just calm down a _little_ bit more."

"You will definitely not hear me object to that!" Eric flopped onto the bed beside her and tangled his hand into Sookie's hair as she drifted down his waist to wrap her mouth around his cock.

Eric groaned when her tongue snaked down his length and he gave her locks in his hand an encouraging tug. He could practically feel her lips form into a smirk around him and it caused his hips to flex warningly.

"No need to be so smug, Sookie," Eric rumbled. "You should know by now that you have the devil's tongue."

"It's still nice to be reminded that my thousand-year-old Viking likes my mouth the best," she taunted, and then trailed her tongue down toward his balls.

"Everything about you, I like the best," Eric replied breathlessly, earning an approving hum from his Mate as she manipulated his sack with her mouth. "Gods, that feels good!"

Her stroke was firm and slow, making Eric's hips twitch impatiently beneath her. It was not long before his moans and twitches proved to Sookie how going down on her Bonded was anything _but_ calming. Slowly, she let one of her hands leave his thigh to travel down her belly.

"Oh no," Eric jerked into a seated position and took her hand. "There will not be any of that!" he gave her hand a squeeze. "That is for me." Somehow Sookie managed a pout with her lips wrapped around his cock, and it made Eric laugh. "Just to make sure you are not tempted again, I will keep a hold on these," He took both of her wrists into his hand and let the other fist once more in her hair.

Arms and hair held above her head, Sookie was at the mercy of his hips as he began to thrust into her mouth. Though she had been getting better at taking more of his length into her throat over time, she was surprised that as a vampire she could now take the entirety of him.

Her throat flexed rhythmically with his thrusts, able to enjoy his dominance freely without the panic of oxygen deprivation. It was even more arousing without her eyes watering from strain, or the distraction of her labored gasps for air.

"Just like that, Sookie," Eric snarled in a primal way as her tongue danced feverishly over his sex. Shortly after, she could feel his cock pulsing in her throat and another growl rumbled from his chest as he came. "Ready for yours now?" he asked tauntingly as he released her hair and wrists.

Sookie looked up at him, catching remnants of his release from the corner of her mouth and licking it clean. With a kittenish stretch, she crawled into his lap and giggled when he rolled her beneath him.

He did not leave her waiting for any preamble as he drifted down the length of her body. He could feel how aroused she was and knew that she needed no further attention than what he would give to her center.

Splitting her legs open, Eric ran his tongue up her gash, but was stunned when he flickered her clit and Sookie buckled beneath him with an ecstatic cry.

Looking up at her in surprise, the older vampire witnessed her writhing with orgasm and bucking her hips toward the sky as her pearl skin glowed with heat. Her thigh felt alive with warmth, her scent was alluringly delicious, and she was still convulsing with the force of her orgasm.

Tempted by her wildness and aroma, Eric bit into her thigh and was rewarded with thick, syrupy sweetness. He wanted to nurse her wound like a babe latched to a breast. She was frantic with the recycling of her pleasure, and Eric was finding it difficult to disengage from the injury he had inflicted. Somewhere, he found the willpower to withdraw, but his tongue continued lapping at the puncture even after it had healed.

Running his hands up and down her body as she recovered from her bliss, Eric reveled in her warmth. She felt alive with the heat she was emitting, but her body was still as the grave now.

"Are you all right, My Sookie?" Eric asked after a moment.

"Uh huh," she mumbled incoherently.

"Can you please stand up? I want to see you move a bit. You look dead."

"I am dead," she grunted.

"You know what I mean," he playfully patted her thigh. "Please, I want to be sure that you are well."

Sluggishly, Sookie clambered off the bed and slouched around the room dazed.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Tired. I haven't felt tired like this since you turned me," she admitted.

"Put on a nightgown. I am going to call Ludwig," Eric told her as he found a pair of track pants for himself before grabbing his phone.

Sookie nodded numbly as she found one of his shirts and pulled it awkwardly over her head.

"Ludwig, I think you should step in. We have had a new occurrence," Eric murmured into his phone before hanging up.

 **POP**

"I know I said I wouldn't charge you where it concerned her, but you have to keep in mind I am a doctor. Not an on-call, private physician. I have other patients," Ludwig snapped as she flung her black doctor's bag on the bed. "Oh my," she gawked at Sookie. "What happened?"

"A very powerful orgasm," Eric folded his arms over his chest contemplatively. "Feel her skin. She is warmer than a human!"

Ludwig pressed her hand against Sookie's forehead and nodded, "Yes, very warm! Did anything else happen other than heating up?"

"She mentioned she felt a similar sensation to when she uses Fairy Light. We took a short break from our activities, but when we continued, her arousal-"

"Please, Eric, this is super embarrassing," Sookie moaned.

"I am a doctor, Baby Vampire," Ludwig reminded. "When it comes to you, I need to know everything."

Sookie moaned and flopped on the bed next to Ludwig's bag.

"As I was saying, her arousal when we continued was quite intense. I barely touched her and she orgasmed, and then her skin heated up drastically. She smelled irresistible. I bit her, and her blood was delectable. It did not offer me any nourishment, but I found it difficult to stop drinking," Eric concluded.

"Did it intoxicate you at all?" Ludwig asked, feeling Sookie's skin again and noting that it was cooling down.

"No, but like I said, it was very difficult to disengage."

Ludwig shrugged, "Sounds like a basic power surge. Strong emotions can cause those. Did she put off Fairy Light?"

"She did not," he told her.

"She is already coming back down to room temperature. Are you tired, Little Vampire?"

"Very," Sookie mumbled into a pillow.

"Are you thirsty?"

"Now that you mention it, I'm very thirsty," she confessed.

"Hmm," Ludwig grabbed her bag and rifled through it. Extracting a bottle of blood, she stopped before offering it to Sookie. "Have you tried mixing in honey yet?"

"No. This is our first night undisturbed since you made the suggestion," Eric admitted.

Nodding in understanding, Ludwig reached back in the bag and found bottle of honey that she added to the blood and shook it. Finally, she gave Sookie the bottle and the young vampire guzzled it like ambrosia. "Good?" Ludwig chuckled.

"So good!" Sookie chugged until the bottle was drained, and she was poking her tongue inside to capture more sweetened drops. "Can I have another?" she begged, making the doctor laugh and mix another.

Sookie drained it similar to the first. "Is this TrueBlood?" she asked.

"No, that is regular human blood. I bottled some so that you could try it with honey."

"Thank you," Sookie upturned the bottle, trying to coax the final dregs into her mouth.

"You are very welcome." Turning to Eric, she added, "Make sure she does not regurgitate it and I will return tomorrow evening to check in on her."

"Yes, Doctor," Eric nodded.

With that, Ludwig vanished from the room and Sookie sighed with relief. Seeing so much of the little doctor put the vampire on edge.

"So, when a vamp regurgitates, is there any warning it's gonna happen? I'd hate to make a mess," Sookie mumbled.

"Your stomach will contract in intervals for about five to ten minutes before expelling its contents. It is not all that uncomfortable, but it is noticeable. If you are dead for the day when your body tries to reject it, then you will make a mess. There is nothing to do about it," Eric shrugged. "Although," he frowned now and double checked his watch before tasting the air, "the sun has already broken the horizon. _You_ should be unconscious right now."

"For real?" Sookie tilted her head before trying her own hand at tasting the rising sun. "I don't even feel nervous like I usually do just before dawn!"

"Hmm, I wonder if it is the honey or that release you had?" Eric brought her to bed, but kept from climbing in beside her when he heard Mags and Junes pawing and whining at the door. "All right, all right!" he grumbled, going over and letting the pair sneak in. Both dogs quickly jumped on the bed and ensconced Sookie. "Excuse me," Eric came to her side and shoved Junes out of the way, "this is _my_ spot."

Junes grumbled to herself and sprawled instead across Sookie's legs as Mags pressed tightly into Sookie's side opposite Eric.

"Jealous?" Sookie teased as she wrapped herself around Eric.

"They may be hell beasts, but this is still _my_ spot," he snarked.

"Always," she assured him, kissing his chest.

Running his fingers through her hair, Eric let the silence of the room linger. The events of the past week were running through his head, and he allowed the quiet to continue as he broke down all of the impossibilities that had transpired.

After a while, Sookie could not take the silence in conjunction with Eric's mood. "What are you thinking?" she finally asked.

"About the Magister."

"And?"

Eric shook his head, "I cannot believe that he tried to do what he did! How could he possibly consider he could get away with manipulating you like that? Even if he _had_ managed to scare you into admitting what you were, once you were presented to the Council and Ancient Pythoness, it would be known that he had procured you under false pretenses. The Ancient Pythoness would have known Jorge had meddled in the safety and harmony of a Bonded couple. Not to mention, when they found the stress he had subjected a newborn to…?"

"I don't understand why the Ancient Pythoness wasn't at the trial," Sookie admitted. "I mean, Frøkn stated plainly that under our circumstances there was no reason for her not to be there."

"Oh, that is simple enough," Eric replied. "Sophie-Anne apparently pissed off the Council and she was going to be put to death regardless. Therefore, there was no need for the Ancient Pythoness to attend. The trial was just for show. No doubt, if we had failed to make our case, Jorge had his own accusations against her that _could_ be proven."

"Then why stress us out?" Sookie demanded. "And why didn't I hear that in his mind?"

Eric shrugged, "Quite possibly he was too entertained by the trial to think about the outcome. As for why he put pressure on us, he rather enjoyed the discomfort he was putting us through. Jorge was quite the sadist. An opportunity to push the buttons of a Bonded couple does not come often and he was taking full advantage of that. I wonder if he was hoping that we would fail to prove our claim so that he might put us to death as well. He would have relished in that. I am certain he would have killed you first and made me wait a time for my own death just to see 'The Viking' shrieking in agony."

Sookie shivered, "That's terrible."

"Quite," he agreed darkly.

"So does that mean we called his bluff and that attempt at the tarmac was just a last, desperate resort?" Sookie asked.

"More than likely… Still, as I said, the Council would have known what he had done once you were presented to them. His plan was very flawed."

"Is that strange for vampires?" Sookie asked. "To go ahead with such imperfect plans that could lead to their true death?"

"Some are more impulsive than others," Eric frowned. "Jorge is not one I would have considered 'impulsive'."

"I wonder if we'll ever know why he did it," Sookie sighed, nuzzling into his chest.

"Regardless, we have a very full immortality to look forward to. We have already been cleared of any and all wrongdoing in North America. After a couple decades, the European Council will lift their visiting restrictions and the world will be our oyster once more."

"I'd really like to return to Louisiana after my first year," Sookie confessed. "I want to see Trent and my division and say proper goodbyes."

Eric's eyebrows raised, "Goodbyes?"

Smiling sadly, Sookie whispered, "You were right about shrugging off my mortal coil. I'm going to give Jason our Gran's house and say goodbye to the Shreveport P.D. Maybe we could go live in Dallas with Godric and Emily. I need to make a new family, an immortal one, and I can't do that if I don't start making steps toward letting them know me properly." 

"I see…."

"You're surprised," she commented.

"A bit, but I am very happy to hear you are already preparing to try. If anyone had a reason to cling, it would be you, and I would have respected that."

"It's better for everyone if they can just bury me," Sookie murmured. "At least I can let them say proper goodbyes."

"I suppose."

"You disagree."

Smiling, Eric replied, "No one is better off not having you in their life, Sookie."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	29. Chapter 28

Never End

 _A/N: Short, winding down chapter! We have twenty-nine coming out on Wednesday, and the Epilogue a week from today! Again, I **plan** on having a new story ready for you guys by late June, maybe early July. It depends how the muses are working for me. By some higher power, I **will** write the sequel to 'Keep Me' **!** I have the whole storyline for the sequel, but the words are being very stingy at the moment. _

_Thanks as always to **msbuffy** for her time and energy editing these chapters. You're the best!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight: December**

"This is absolutely the coolest thing since I became a vampire," Sookie marveled as she managed to remain aware the entire length of Sweden's shortened winter day.

Eric chuckled at her enthusiasm, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. "Yes, ever since you have begun mixing honey into your bottled blood, you have managed to resist succumbing to the sun. It is very impressive for a vampire so young, even a Bonded one, to remain aware that long."

Sookie merely grinned back at him happily, wrapping her arms around his neck, "So, does that mean your 'hands off' policy is lifted now that the sun's set?"

"After a few hours, perhaps," Eric teased her, running his thumb across her bottom lip. "I want to make sure you are not feeling weakened first. Perhaps after you have some human blood."

"Then let's go into town and get a donor," she whined. "I want to go running with the girls and find out what that noise was all freakin' day!"

"Noise?" Eric asked curiously.

"That falling rice sound," she elaborated.

"Falling rice…? OH!" Eric laughed, having tuned out the familiar noise, "Sookie! That was snow!"

"It _snowed_!?" she demanded, jumping from bed, half dressed, and out the door. Mags and Junes were hard pressed to keep up with her. Eric laughed as he quickly followed his Mate out the door, marveling at her curiosity and disbelief at witnessing her first snow fall. She looked like an angel in the glittering confetti of ice, her cool hand reaching out, and letting it accumulate the small flakes.

Mags and Junes were excitedly rolling in the thin blanket of accumulation, both growling playfully and snapping their teeth at one another.

Leaning against the house, Eric laughed and watched the three of them. Sookie had ceased her captivated snowflake collecting and was now on her knees, scooping up fistfuls of snow before flopping onto her back, spreading her arms and legs energetically.

With a quick bound, she leaped from the ground and examined the angelic imprint she had left, pointing at it and grinning childishly.

"Look! My first snow angel!" she beamed.

Eric chuckled and came to her side, wrapping his arm around her waist, "If you get dressed now, we can get you a donor, and then have a nice run with the dogs in the snow."

Before he could blink, Sookie was out of his arms and back again, completely dressed. She tugged at his wrist, urging him toward the car. "Be good, Girls," she called before Eric shut her door and went to the driver's side.

"You seem more preoccupied with getting back home than finding a meal," Eric laughed as he drove.

Sookie shrugged, "You know, if you weren't so insistent on making me feed off people all the time, I'd just drink TrueBlood with honey and call it a day."

"And if you found yourself in a situation where you needed to feed and you could not acquire TrueBlood?" he asked with raised eyebrows. "Do you know if you could stay under control in that scenario?"

"Which is exactly why I don't make a fuss about finding a donor," Sookie pointed out. "Besides, the mood does strike me on occasion."

"Yes, and those occasions are quite entertaining," Eric agreed.

Sookie shook her head, "I don't think so."

Eric cocked his head curiously before understanding came to him, and he groaned, "I am sorry that I have had to begin taking donors again."

His Bonded sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap, "I get it," she murmured. "I just wish I could still nourish you. I don't like seeing anyone else in your arms."

"I have only taken male donors," he pointed out.

"Darlin', you're too gorgeous for that to really help," Sookie laughed hollowly. "You think more than a few of those men didn't enjoy being where they were any less than a woman would?"

"Ah, well, I cannot help that," he laughed. "But _you_ should certainly know that _I_ do not wish them to be under my fangs."

"I know," she pouted.

"Perhaps you should not listen to my meals," he suggested softly.

"I know," she pouted harder. "I can't help it, though. You're vulnerable that close to them."

"I could glamour them beforehand," he added. "They would be completely complacent and blank."

"Could you?" she asked.

"I will," He nodded reassuringly.

"Thanks," She let out a relieved sigh.

"Anything for you, My Bonded."

{†}

Eric laughed as Sookie was playing once more in the snow with Mags and Junes. The trio were currently entertaining themselves with Sookie lobbing snowballs at the pair of dogs. Eric merely watched contentedly, leaned against the side of a tree. They were getting further and further away, but Eric could still see them, though their noises were becoming more difficult to discern.

"How are they doing?" a familiar voice asked nearby, and Eric turned to see Endymion approaching.

"Checking in?" Eric asked tensely.

Endymion shrugged his wide shoulders, coming to stand beside the vampire. "I just wish to know if your Bonded is happy."

Eric raised his eyebrows at that, "Because?"

A secret smile curled the Voice's mouth, and he answered, "She is very important to me."

"Because she is _your_ hero?"

"Oh, you heard that, huh?" Endymion laughed, scratching his cheek embarrassedly.

"You are not as formal as I remember," Eric commented.

"It is the company," the Voice replied.

Eric looked at the demigod and frowned, "What is it about her? Are you in _love_ with my Bonded?" he demanded.

"I love her dearly, but not romantically," Endymion confessed. "My heart belongs to Selene."

"The Greek Goddess of the Moon, yes?"

"That would be our Selene," Endymion laughed.

"Our?"

"Mine and the other Endymions. As I said, we are not _all_ the same person. The original Voice of the Pantheon is the original Endymion. As dimensions began expanding, multiplying, there was a need for a Voice of the Pantheon to be present in each dimension rather than the deities overlooking all dimensions simultaneously. In comparison to most of the Endymions, I am extremely young," the Voice explained.

"How does it feel sharing your lover with others?" Eric asked.

Endymion lifted his shoulder disinterestedly. "When she is with me, she is with _only_ me. That is what matters."

"Then what is your love for _my_ Sookie?" Eric asked again.

"As I said, she was my hero in the dimension I was originally born to. In the dimensions I oversee, I always keep her future on the forefront of my priorities. I received quite a bit of flack over it when I first started out, but given my success record in my dimensions, those criticisms have waned considerably, especially now that Fenrir and Garm are no longer a threat."

Eric watched his Bonded playing in the snow, barely visible now, and kept his eyes trained on her as he asked, "What are some of the roles you have made her play?"

"I know what you really want to know," Endymion teased. "You want to know if she ever has _you_ in those other dimensions."

"Does she?" Eric looked at him with something akin to hope in his eyes.

"Yes," Endymion nodded with a playful grin. "I have seen her in other dimension. Ones of which I am not the Voice. Every single one of them, she could not be a hero. You make her very strong, Eric. You make her a hero… And she makes you one too."

Eric snorted at that, "Me, a hero? Perhaps a war hero!"

"No, you are her hero," Endymion shook his head. "Even in this dimension, you were her hero. Without you, she could not have been the immortal she needed to be. She could not have remained the retainer of Fenrir and Garm."

"It is good to know my ability to give immortality-"

"Don't pretend _that_ was the answer," Endymion laughed. "There are several dimensions where Sookie does not become vampire. Plenty of dimensions where she is still an immortal without vampirism."

"How is that possible?" Eric stared in shock.

"Ah, well, I have said too much," Endymion grimaced. "It is never good to divulge too much information about other dimensions. It brews longing and envy. Not to mention, if any events were to intersect, it can cause errors in timeline."

"You are a very frustrating creature," Eric grumbled.

"I learned from the best on how to irritate you," Endymion laughed. "Dimension to dimension, that is something that never changes. You absolutely _loathe_ being left wanting on information. Perhaps, in the future, you will learn more, but for now you are just meant to be happy and enjoy eternity with the Guardian of the Cosmos."

"That is a rather impressive title for her," Eric chuckled.

"Believe me, it is not only me who calls her that. She has earned praise from the Pantheon and the other Endymions as well. It has also given me a green light for a future correction I will need her assistance in that was originally deemed unsuitable for her."

"I do not like that you use her like this," Eric growled.

"I know, but she does."

"You are talking of your home dimension again?"

"I am," he nodded.

"Does she love you in that world?" he demanded.

"I really hope so," he laughed before shaking his head. "There is something else you really wished to ask me, though, wasn't there?"

Eric paused a moment before asking the question that had plagued him for months, "Do you know how it was the Magister believed he could submit her to the Council without grievous repercussions?"

"Of course," Endymion laughed. "It was rather simple, actually."

"Please, enlighten me," Eric growled impatiently.

"Leverage," He shrugged. "As simple as that. If Jorge not only managed to leverage a useful procurement such as Sookie, but _also_ subdued the _Viking_ in one fell swoop, he knew the Council would overlook the means in which he accomplished it. He would have gotten exactly what he wished. He would have been given a spot on the South American Council of Vampires, and Sookie would have become the new Magister of North America with you as her retainer and executor. It would have been over the course of several decades before this was all transitioned, but Jorge's promotion would have been secured… Unfortunately for Jorge, he made a great miscalculation."

"Which was?"

"Sookie, of course!" Endymion laughed. "He thought she would panic like any newborn and slip up. Instead, she gave nothing away. No confirmations, no hesitations, no _fear_. Yes, this Sookie is probably the strongest of them all when it comes to her game-play. She is very adept at policing herself and gathering all the facts before reacting."

"More so than _your_ Sookie?" Eric snapped.

"By far. _My_ Sookie, who is actually very much _your_ Sookie, is not so well practiced at such things. _My_ Sookie is more fiery. Brave, definitely, but far more bullheaded."

"I cannot imagine a Sookie more stubborn than mine," Eric chuckled.

"Believe me," Endymion rolled his eyes, "I have seen her far more stubborn. You should have seen her when…" he trailed off and shook his head, as if realizing he had almost over shared. "You know, it is far too easy to fall into conversation with you, Eric. Of course, you do this to me in my origin dimension often. Ever since I became the Voice, you have tried wheedling information from me."

"Was I successful?" Eric chuckled curiously.

"At first," Endymion admitted begrudgingly. "Thankfully, by the time my assigned dimensions reached a point where they were influential in _my_ Eric's universe, I had learned not to be baited by him any longer."

"I do not find being called your anything to be appealing," Eric told him.

"I suppose this version of you would not," was Endymion's laughing reply before clapping his hands in a gesture of finality. "Well, I can see that Sookie is doing very well, and seems quite happy. I am glad. Now, I cannot dawdle long here. I must return to my duties."

"I hope to bait you some more in the future," Eric waved as the Voice began to depart.

"I look forward to it."

With that, Endymion was gone in a bright flash and a chiming of soft bells.

"Hey!" Sookie came bounding toward him, giving Eric only a split second to open his arms and catch her as she lunged into him. "Hehe, that's my Viking!" she purred happily.

"You seemed to have had quite a bit of fun out here!" Eric laughed, kissing her crown. "Are you ready to head home?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "The girls are getting bored, and I think it's a bit cold for us. My body's feeling slow," she admitted.

Eric took a short moment to evaluate his own joints and found that they felt moderately sluggish as well. "A keen observation, Dear One. Let us head back."

Hand in hand with a pair of beastly black dogs in their wake, Sookie and Eric traveled on foot back to their concealed home. As they stepped inside, Eric went to the den and began a fire. The extra heat would quickly evaporate the stiffness of the cold, and the crackling sound within the hearth had a rather appealing aesthetic for him. He had longed to make love to her in front of a roaring fire…

"I'm going to do some cleaning while the fire gets going," Sookie announced bouncily as she found the MP3 player he had bought her and quickly popped in her earbuds. She had taken to listening to music wearing them, trying to fine tune her ability to hear different frequencies. It was a surprising exercise she had undertaken. Most vampires did not see the benefit of such a practice, but he had already witnessed that she was becoming very adept at not catching Mags or Junes under her feet because she could hear them moving around her. Her usual practice was listening to ambient noise; traffic, nature, crushing waves, and one time he had even heard jackhammers thundering from those headphones.

Tonight, however, she was listening to actual music as she floated about the house, dusting and sweeping. She moved at a rather human pace, finding the task of cleaning therapeutic rather than a labor with which she wished to be done. Admittedly, Eric had never existed in such a clean home before she came into his world. He was not a slob by any means, but aside from the weekly cleaning lady he usually kept on staff, his home was usually not in any short supply of small debris. Now Sookie came into the picture and everything shined all the time. Perhaps it was just that she was there, not the cleaning. His existence had seemed to shine all the time since she became his, so why would his home not take on the same?

Eric watched amusedly as Sookie bobbed into the room, a spoonful of honey tucked into her cheek. Her bottom swiveled with the beat of a song as she came through with a dusting cloth. She plucked every single knickknack from the shelf, dusted, waxed, and buffed it, and then cleaned each of the decorations before replacing them to their homes. He watched her shoulders shimmy and the way it caused her breasts to sway.

Who knew domestication could be so arousing?

Continuing his observation for a moment longer, Eric rose from his vantage point and came past her to kiss the side of her cheek which was already tilted toward him invitingly. Eric merely laughed, patted her rear, and went to the bedroom to retrieve his laptop. Perhaps she would enjoy the added challenge of sound canceling headphones for her exercise.

As he returned to the den, Eric felt a strange shift in the Bond. He looked at his Mate with alarm as she stood lax, still holding a porcelain figure in her limp hand, eyes staring ahead. Sadness, Regret, Worry flooded the Bond, and Eric looked where she was staring, tasted the air in the room, and listened intently for a disturbance. Nothing was out of place, nothing that could cause this extreme of a fluctuation to her mood.

Listening again, Eric heard a deep, rasping voice from her headphones. The lyrics made his body tense and he was quickly at her side.

"Sookie," Eric pulled the headphones from her ears and spun his Bonded around, "it is only a song."

"I-I know," she stammered before laughing. "I just…" She laughed nervously again. "I guess I never realized this song was my anthem before I met you. And then I thought about how I did let you have it all, all my screwed up problems, and I _did_ hurt you with my pain."

Smiling, Eric brushed an errant strand of hair from her face and traced his thumb over her bottom lip. "You never let me down," he pointed out.

"That's what makes me worried," she admitted guiltily. "Eternity is a long time, Darlin'. Who's to say I won't?"

"You never could," he assured her. "As long as you exist, it is not possible. Even if by some tragedy I did lose you, Fenrir would end my suffering instantly."

"Oh, that's comforting," Sookie rolled her eyes and laughed with a bit more spirit.

"As I said, it is only a song," he reminded.

"I know," she sighed. "I really like this song though. It makes me a little melancholy, but it also reminds me that it's not my theme song anymore." With a tentative shrug, Sookie stood on her toes and kissed the underside of Eric's jaw. "Sorry I worried you there."

Tilting his head down, Eric nuzzled against her ear, "I suppose your first few years as a vampire will have me on edge. You adapt in such startling ways that it disarms me at times."

"How so?" she laughed.

Taking her iPod from her pocket and finally turning it off, Eric placed the device on the entryway table and took Sookie's hand in his. Leading her toward the fireplace, he sprawled before it and pulled Sookie into his lap. "How do you surprise me?" he began thoughtfully. "Let me see… You are the most self-contained creature I have ever met. Whenever you feel anything strongly, it floors me. I wait for the day when you do not hide from yourself any longer. You are also very astute in fine tuning your new abilities. From languages, to hearing, to speed and agility, customs, interactions and building secure relationships. Frøkn is completely curled around your little finger, and you have only met him a handful of times in these past months. You are so adept at commanding the respect of those around you that your age takes in no consideration." With a sigh, Eric shook his head with disbelief.

"It's easy to earn respect of those around you when you respect others," Sookie shrugged as if that one comment could wipe away his assessment entirely. "Besides, good manners play a huge role in that."

"So quick to devalue your accomplishments," Eric laughed, pressing his forehead to hers. "You are the most blind detective when you are the subject of scrutiny. That is another time I long for, one where you accept all of the wonderful things that you are."

"I hope it never comes," Sookie told him.

"Why is that?" Eric asked curiously, playing with a strand of her hair absentmindedly.

"Eric," Sookie gazed at him seriously, "I don't want to be full of myself. I don't want to be overcome with a sense of entitlement. I have a duty to every universe. If my humility prevents me from taking advantage of that, then I'd rather devalue all of the things that you marvel at… Being imperfectly, blissfully happy. That is all I want. The only perfection I need is your love. I have that, I will always have that."

"Yes, you will," he agreed, smiling.

"Eric?"

"Yes, Sookie?" He nuzzled her ear.

"Take our clothes off."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	30. Chapter 29

Never End

 _A/N: Epilogue on Sunday, everyone! Enjoy today's chapter!_

 _Thanks as always to for the hard work of my editor,_ _ **msbuffy**_ _!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine:** **Dallas**

"It feels wonderful receiving you, Eric and Sookie!" Godric beamed at the pair on his doorstep. "I have noticed a great strain on you these past few evenings," he commented comfortingly to the vampiress.

"I said my final goodbyes to my former colleagues. It was an emotional parting," Sookie told him.

Nodding in understanding, Godric ushered them inside where Emily stood with open arms. She was much more 'hands on' than the vampires Sookie was used to, and Emily embraced both her and Eric.

"I'm so glad to see you again. Pam told us all about what you two have been up to this past year," she grinned. "And back in December, I felt the most amazing sensation of awe! Would it be inappropriate for me to ask what happened?" she asked excitedly.

"Oh," Sookie laughed nervously, "I saw snow for the first time! The girls really enjoyed themselves playing in it! We had a snowball fight, so Mags and Junes were catching them in their mouths and making little snow dens. It was really fun!"

Emily laughed at the explanation. "That's right! You were raised down south, weren't you?"

"Yup," Sookie nodded as Emily and Godric lead them to the sitting room.

"Where are your dogs?" Godric asked curiously.

"In the car. We just wanted to pop in before going to the Hotel Camilla," Sookie told him.

"I thought you would stay with us?" Emily pouted.

"We have not made any definite decisions yet," Eric explained. "We have not determined whether to stay in Dallas or if we wish to go further north."

"I see," Godric frowned. "Well, you should know that the FotS situation has gotten rather troublesome in Dallas. The Hotel Camilla has received bomb threats almost every month of this year. Four in total so far. I would insist that you stay with us rather than head to the hotel."

Eric frowned, "Their activity has escalated?"

"So it would seem. I take it Europe has been calm this past year?" Godric inquired.

Eric shrugged, "For the most part. Turkey and the Middle East have been the most troublesome as far as anti-vampire activists go. Russia has had a couple moments here and there, but has mostly remained amicable. As far as Europe as a whole, I would not say they have shown anywhere near the animosity that the United States and Middle East have."

Godric nodded in understanding, "Every year it seems the extremes fluctuate that much further. We have had an influx of donors at the hotel, but also much more retaliation from the Fellowship of the Sun."

"I see. Well, we will still need to stop by the hotel momentarily. I had some documents forwarded there for Sookie."

"Sookie," Godric smiled, "I heard your legal name is now Susannah Northman?"

Sookie bowed her head, "On paper, yes. I'm still going by Sookie, but... I guess you could say I wanted a fresh start when I returned to the US."

"Is the documentation you mentioned related to your name change?" Emily asked curiously.

"No, Trent took care of my name change when the department filed my Certificate of Vampirism last year. He and I talked a lot about me becoming a vampire before Chlebowski shot me. When Eric was forced to turn me, Ben informed the Captain about my wishes," she explained. "The documents at the hotel are about real estate."

"Oh, well, please hurry back. I'd love for all of us to catch up!" Emily beamed happily.

"Feel free to bring the dogs inside. They can stay-" Godric began, but stopped at the look on Eric's face. "What is it?"

"You have not heard about the dogs?" Eric asked in surprise.

Godric frowned once more, "No…? Are they unwell?"

"It's a long story," Sookie grimaced. "We'll tell you about it when we get back."

"I see. I look forward to it," Godric's smile returned, but was guarded.

Hand in hand, Sookie and Eric left the home to return to the rental car where Mags and Junes were impatiently waiting. They drove to the hotel in companionable silence and when they arrived, Eric went into the lobby to retrieve the documents and cancel their reservations. Sookie took the opportunity to stand on the sidewalk and take in the night sites of downtown Dallas.

It was beautiful with its tall buildings and bright lights. The scents in the air were dusty and warm, making a welcoming sensation build in the pit of her stomach. A new, but desirable scent came to her nostrils as she examined the flavors of the city. She could taste blood in the air and her body compulsively was drawn to it. Having only taken two steps in its direction, Sookie forced her body to stop, and she reached out with her telepathy.

 _'Ow, damn it! This lure better bring a fanger by or I'm gonna be pissed that Terry made me the fucking bait! Let him be a fucking cutting board for a change!'_ Sookie growled at the musings and remained rooted in place.

"Ready, Dear One?" Eric asked, arriving at where she was frozen.

"There's a FotS in that alley. He cut himself trying to lure a vamp," Sookie explained.

Growling himself, Eric stomped toward the alley, Sookie in tow. When they arrived, the telepath only had a split second to react as a silver net came lunging toward them. Unaffected by the metal, Sookie took its impact as Eric sprung at the attacker. An explosion distracted Sookie from untangling herself from the trap, and she looked at the mouth of the passage as a campfire glow illuminated the street.

As Sookie clambered to her feet, Mags and Junes in their 'Beast Forms' appeared beside her. Junes only paused a moment to assess Sookie's condition before jumping into action. Eric jerked out of the way as Mags let out an ear shattering howl and the FotS attacker froze.

As the assailant became stone, June's massive jaws enveloped him and he was gone in an instant as though he had never existed in the alley.

"Well, I suppose I will not have to hide a body now," Eric grumbled, his bloodlust left unsatisfied by Junes' interception. "You know, Fenrir, I was perfectly capable of handling that myself."

Junes let out a disinterested huff as if to say, _'So what?'_

"Girls, get back into your Shepherd shapes. The police will be here any minute!" Sookie sighed as the dogs began to shrink. "God, I hope the security cameras didn't see them change!"

"Sookie," Eric looked at her in surprise, "Cameras and human eyes cannot see Garm and Fenrir. They are ethereal creatures. They can only be seen in the Shepherd forms."

"A-are you serious?" she asked in surprise.

"Why do you think I never objected to them running with us in that form?" Eric laughed.

Sookie blanched at never questioning his lax attitude, "I figured you just knew they'd have time to change back without being noticed."

Eric shook his head, "No. When they are in their true form, they are inter-dimensional creatures of the Void. Only supernaturals can see them in their true shape."

"Cameras can't?"

"No, they will merely cast an indistinguishable shadow on the film."

"Oh, well, that's a relief," Sookie let out an anxious exhale.

"Come, Dear One, we must be leaving now," Eric took her hand and lead her along with the dogs down the alleyway. "We will return to Godric's." 

Sookie nodded and looked around nervously as Eric hailed a taxi. The cab driver grumbled as the Shepherds jumped into his taxi as well as the two vampires, but he drove out of downtown at Eric's command.

"Eric," Sookie hissed too quietly for the driver to hear, "should we be leaving like this? If my instinct is right, it was _our_ car that just exploded back there! Should we really be leaving the site of a bombing?"

"It _was_ our car that was bombed. That diversion was meant to keep us away from our vehicle long enough for a bomb to be planted by a secondary FotS member. The bait was only meant to silver us and run away. We would have gone back to our car to flee and then been blown up," Eric confirmed.

"Why did it go off? Shouldn't it have been ignition triggered?" Sookie demanded. "Or was it on a timer?"

"The bomb exploded when Mags and Junes took their Beast Forms," Eric explained in a hushed voice.

"Why are we running away?" Sookie asked again. "It won't take long for them to pull footage and trace back the rental car to your name! The police will be at our door by tomorrow evening if not just before dawn today!"

"The Camilla would not release the footage to the human police. It will be given to Godric."

"So we're safe?"

"That is a rather optimistic view," Eric admitted.

Sookie groaned and leaned her head against the back of her seat. "Well, this was a marvelous way to come back to the US."

"Yes," Eric growled under his breath. "And why did Godric not know of Mags and Junes?"

"I bet I know the answer to that one," Sookie whispered.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, and when Godric forwards the attempt on my existence to the Council, I'm betting we're going to have a visit from Diedre."

"Really?" Eric looked at her in surprise.

Looking at her Bonded, Sookie blanched guiltily, "A lot is making sense, Darlin'. Call Godric. Tell him not to contact anyone about the Camilla bombing. Not another soul."

Eric whipped out his phone and dialed his Maker, praying that he managed to do so in time.

"Master," Eric began quickly, "you are going to receive footage from the Camilla if you have not already. I beg that you do nothing with the information until Sookie and I arrive back at your home."

" _Eric, I have already received a text, but have not gotten any footage yet. It is on its way by courier as we speak. What has happened?"_

"Nothing I can discuss over the phone. Please, wait until Sookie and I arrive and we will explain everything."

" _I shall do as you request. Hurry back."_

"Yes, Master." Eric hung up his phone and let out a sigh of relief. "You heard?"

"I did," Sookie nodded. "Thank goodness Godric is not an alarmist."

"Yes," he agreed and mimicked her posture by leaning his head back into the seat. "Will you share your theory with me before we arrive?"

In the same imperceptibly low voice, Sookie spilled her suspicions, "The International Council didn't tell the Continental Councils anything about Mags and Junes. You, me, and the International Council are the only ones who know anything. Endymion _told me_ that he and the Pantheon can't make decisions for humans or vampires. He could only tell the highest ranking officials and that was it. This only means two things. The International Council is keeping us under wraps for our safety, or fear of us.

We have two inter-dimensional hell beasts at our disposal. We could rule the world if we wanted, and the International Council is keeping their hand breasted until they see which way we lean. If Diedre finds out I was almost killed tonight, she's gonna try and convince me to go underground like the Magister did. Well, not as aggressively, but she's gonna make a huge push for it."

Eric nodded in understanding, blown away by Sookie's observations. After a moment of processing her theories, the Viking laughed, "Your detective's mind is far more impressive than I ever thought! You make connections so swiftly that even _I_ am left disoriented by them!"

"We can't let Godric release that I could have been killed tonight," Sookie insisted.

"I agree."

"So what do we do?" Sookie asked.

"We will find an area that is not abundantly inhabited by activists like the FotS and go about our existences as normally as possible," Eric shrugged. "If that is not a possibility, we will merely fly under the radar."

"How so?" she pressed.

"Ventures such as Fangtasia will need to be forgone. I will resume my usual manner of conducting business under false aliases, maintaining a human façade. With my ability to remain aware during most of the day, I can conference call and hold video meetings." Squeezing her hand, he continued, "As long as you maintain honey in your nourishment, you are able to remain aware large chunks of the day as well. We can pose as a married human couple."

"So, we're just going to pretend not to be vampires?" Sookie asked.

"We are."

Sookie slumped against her seat, "That feels like we're going to be in hiding…."

"In a sense we will," Eric confessed. "But, to be honest, your personality might find it far more enjoyable."

"What about yours?" Sookie insisted.

Eric smiled at her and brought her hand to his lips to kiss. "I have you. That is all I need for happiness."

Sookie shook her head, "You're a warrior as much as I'm a cop at heart, Eric. You can put the Viking in suburbia, but you can't put suburbia in the Viking."

"Then every decade or so, we will give our raping and pillaging a go. How does that sound?" Eric teased.

"I'll have to cuff you."

"Sounds delightful."

The remaining drive to Godric's home was made in amused silence, Sookie's head leaned on Eric's shoulder and the dogs sprawled lazily across both their laps. As they pulled up to the driveway, Eric handed over the fare and glamoured the driver for good measure.

Once they all clambered out of the cab, the door to the house opened as Emily and Godric stood waiting anxiously for them.

"Are you all right? Why do I smell explosives?" Godric demanded.

The four entered the house and adjourned in the sitting room.

"Our rental car was blown up," Sookie told them. "We're all perfectly fine though," she assured.

"Blown up!?" Emily cried.

"A FotS member lured us from the car while a second planted the bomb," Eric explained. "The bomb went off before we could return to the car. Judging by some of the stench, I would say the FotS securing the bomb was caught in the blast."

"I see," Godric sat heavily on the loveseat, Emily folding naturally into his side. "I am glad that you are all well. Even the dogs!"

"That is something we must discuss," Eric reminded.

"Yes, you did say you had something to explain about them," Godric remembered.

"Our first night in Öland, we received a visit from the Voice of the Pantheon," Eric began the tale. Godric and Emily sat in rapt fascination while the identities of Garm and Fenrir were revealed. By the end of the accounting, Godric was leaning forward with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"That is remarkable!" Godric shook his head as if trying to wake himself from a bizarre dream.

"Quite," Eric agreed.

"Now, why did you wish to prevent me from contacting the Council about the matter of your car being bombed?" Godric demanded calmly.

"Sookie made a rather impressive observation. You see, the International Council knows about Garm and Fenrir, but they did not make Sookie's status public. She believes that Diedre is waiting to see if remaining exposed to the public is safe, or if we have any plans to abuse our resources. If Diedre finds that it is _unsafe_ in any way, she might attempt to lock Sookie away as the Magister had tried," Eric explained.

Godric's lips twitched minutely into a stunned grimace, "A rather impressive observation, indeed."

"What are you two going to do now?" Emily asked worriedly.

"We are considering taking ourselves out of the public eye, and committing to the pretense of being human," Eric told them. "Maybe if the activist agendas calm down in a few decades we will resume our vampire roles, but for now, a human existence is more practical."

"You are probably right," Godric sighed sadly. "I am sorry about all of these pressures, Sookie," he apologized to the young vampire. "You have had far greater hurdles to overcome than any vampire so young has ever needed. I have to admit though, you have done so gracefully."

"Thank you, Sir," she barked naturally.

"Godric, please," the Master of the Bloodline smiled kindly, attempting to sooth her tendency to revert to a police officer.

"Thank you, Godric," Sookie reiterated in her official law enforcement tone.

"Where do you think you will go?" Godric asked after shaking his head amusedly when his attempts to relax her failed.

"I am thinking Minnesota. The two-natured packs up there are quite cordial, and I think Sookie will enjoy some of the relationships she could nurture with them. Also, she and the girls really did enjoy the winter seasons and snow while we were in Sweden," Eric laughed.

"Will you at least stay for a little while?" Emily begged.

Smiling indulgently at his Maker's Bonded, Eric nodded. "I still need to purchase us a home, and Sookie and I have not really discussed where we were going after Dallas. We may find that another state or city is more to our interest. Until we have acquired a new home, we will stay here as long as we are not imposing."

"My Child is never an imposition," Godric assured.

"Thank you, Master," Eric inclined his head gratefully. "If you will excuse us, Sookie has some paperwork to do, and requires my assistance. Afterwards, would you all like to go for a drink?"

"Yes," Godric nodded. "I must wait for the courier and review the materials so that I can give my Area a statement. I also need to leave a message with the Anubis airline that any vampires coming to Dallas be informed that vehicles have been bombed at the Camilla and hyper-diligence is warranted."

"Of course," Eric nodded. Rising from the seat he and Sookie had occupied, Eric lead his Bonded through the house to the guest room they would be using. There was a small desk that Sookie sat at while Eric hovered over her shoulder, pointing and explaining the paperwork he extracted from his breast pocket. "You are certain about this?" Eric asked as she handed back the document.

"I was certain when we signed and notarized it last night," Sookie smiled up at him sadly.

"You are breaking my heart with that look, Dear One," Eric moaned.

"Sorry, but even though it's what I want, it hurts," she admitted, batting at an unwanted, red tear. "Can you give me a minute? I want to write a letter along with this, and I think I need some privacy to do that."

Kissing the top of her head, Eric murmured into her hair, "I understand." With that, he left the room, and Sookie stared nervously at the stationary sitting on the far corner of the desk. A heavy sigh whooshed past her lips and she finally reached for the pen and paper.

{†}

Jason Stackhouse flipped through his mail casually, groaning at the mounting bills that he prepared to drop onto the table by the front door. Instead, his hands froze curiously on a thick envelope that appeared more personal than financial. Frowning, he flung the bills on the table and opened the strange letter.

The first page inside the envelope was a rather official document emblazoned with the words "Caddo Perish Deed Transfer." Jason's eyes widened in surprise, skimming the document and nearly dropping it to the floor in his shock. Carefully he placed the deed on the table and looked back in the envelope. There was another folded paper inside and as he opened it, two smaller pieces tumbled to the ground, but he ignored them when he saw his sister's familiar handwriting on the page.

 _~Jason,_

 _I've wrote this letter a million times in my head these past seven months. I've wrote it nearly a hundred times this evening, and I still don't have the right words._

 _I know how you'll find this gesture of signing Gran's house over to you. You're probably thinking this is my way of getting the last word, or some sort of pity or apology, but you would be wrong. I'm leaving you a P.O. address in the event that you ever did want to contact me, even if it's in the form of sending this deed back to me in shreds._

 _The truth is, I don't want the last word, but you won't know how to find me. That's a selfish thing on my part, and I'm sorry. I just can't cry anymore over you. You hurt me deeply on so many levels, but most of all you hurt me by how helpless I am at loving you. I can't stop. As much as I tell myself it would be easier to hate you how you hate me, I can't stop loving you. You're my big brother, whether I'm alive, dead, or something in between. I'll always love my brother._

 _Still, I can't ever go back to the farmhouse. There's no Gran there. There's no you there. It's not my home without my family. So, I'm making a new one, and I hope that you are too. We both have so much love in us, Jason. You and I never were able to love each other right, but that doesn't mean we can't love others the right way._

 _I don't want apologies, and I don't want to apologize any more. So, if you are at peace, then I am at peace, and we should just continue our lives as we have. I hope that you keep our family home. It needs a Stackhouse to take care of it._

 _I guess that's all. Please keep these mementos as a tribute to better, happier times._

 _I will always love you. No matter what._

 _Love, your baby sister,_

 _Sookie_

Jason slid to the floor and picked up the pair of pages that had fallen. Flipping them over, he gazed at the captured memories. Their mother holding Sookie, their father with his hands on Jason's shoulders, and their Gran leaning her head against Daddy's arm. He looked at the second picture of Sookie's high school graduation, him and Gran so proud of the youngest Stackhouse graduating with honors.

The oldest Stackhouse remembered the accusations he had thrown at his sister that night, thinking that she had cheated her way into an Honor's Chord with her telepathy. He had known better, but he had been so envious of her. Gran had been so proud, much prouder than of Jason's football record.

"I didn't deserve you!" Jason howled at the pictures as big tears rolled down his reddening cheeks. "I didn't deserve to be your big brother!" he sobbed, clutching the photos hard. "I promise. I promise. I promise!"

 **TBC**


	31. Finale

Never End

 _A/N: Here it is, our final chapter. My first and only story thus far to not have one single delay! Not only did every chapter post every week on schedule, but toward the end I even managed to double posts! I am truly excited to have produced something I found was good quality at the pace I set for myself. I cannot remember the last time that happened…_

 _My greatest thanks to_ _ **Msbuffy**_ _for her fabulous work on this story. Her editing as well as her friendship inspired me greatly along the way! Also, many thanks to my awesome readers, their reviews, Personal Messages, and just showing up every week. You guys are who I write for just as much as myself._

 _-Andi_

 **Epilogue: Final Goodbyes**

"Um, excuse me?" a sweet voice called at the door, a brisk knock its precursor. "Hello? Is anybody home?"

"Can I help you?" the vampire opened the door curiously.

"Hi," a beautiful creature in her mid-twenties beamed at the unsuspecting vampiress. Her blonde hair framed her face, her big blue eyes innocent and soft, "I heard you might be able to help me. My name's Sookie Stackhouse, and I'm looking for my great aunt."

Emily blinked in surprise at the eerily familiar face and then laughed, "Sookie Stackhouse, you say? Please, come in!"

"Emily," Godric called from the study, already leaving it to see who was at the door, "who is it?"

"Sookie," Emily laughed.

"Sookie? Is Eric not with her?" Godric peered around the corner and frowned at the young, living lady in his foyer.

"I heard there's a woman named Emily Gahl here? She's supposed to be the best of the best at finding lost people," Sookie explained.

"That would be me," Emily chuckled. "And you are looking for your great aunt?"

"Yeah, my Granddaddy's sister," Sookie nodded. "His name's Jason Stackhouse. His sister has the same exact name as me. Sookie Stackhouse," she explained.

"I see!" Godric laughed. "Why are you looking for her?"

Sookie bit her lip and cast her eyes down sadly, "My granddaddy had a stroke a couple of months ago," she whispered. "He's been unable to speak ever since, and can't even get out of bed anymore."

Emily frowned at the explanation and ushered the young Stackhouse into the sitting room. "So what is your desire with your great aunt?" she asked nervously.

"Well, my daddy and aunt Hadley used to tell me how much Granddaddy used to talk about his sister. How she was this really badass police officer, and how she got shot on the job and turned into a vampire. He told them how he had let his bad attitude push her away, and he never saw her again… Daddy said he knows Granddaddy really wants to apologize to his sister, but all he's got is a P.O. box number that he doesn't even know works anymore."

"So you want to find your great aunt so your grandfather can apologize to her?" Godric asked.

"Well, sort of. He can't talk or anything, but I think if I could just get her to _see_ him, she'd just know… You know? Like, she'd see him all sick and just _know_ he's really, really sorry," Sookie's eyes began to water. "He's the best granddaddy in the world, and he's got this one terrible mistake he can't take back! Doesn't he deserve to take it back?" she sobbed helplessly.

"Shh, shh," Emily crooned. "Don't worry, little one. I'm certain Sookie wants that just as much as he does. It just so happens that you came to the perfect person to help you. I know exactly where your great aunt is."

"R-really? You're tha-that good?" Sookie hiccupped.

Emily chuckled and patted the young woman's hand, "Well, I am, but it just so happens that your great aunt is married to _my_ husband's Child," she pointed to Godric.

"Are you… Serious?" Sookie asked in surprise.

"Absolutely," Emily nodded. "Where is your grandfather? Is he still in Louisiana?"

"He's still in the old farmhouse he grew up in with his sister and Gran," Sookie explained.

Godric smiled, "I will call Sookie right now and tell her to catch the first plane to Shreveport. You should do the same."

Sookie rose and nodded, "Thank you. Oh! How much do I owe you? Even though this was an easy case, you still did what I was gonna hire you for."

Emily laughed, "Oh, little Sookie, believe me. If _our_ Sookie is finally going to see her brother again, you have more than paid for our services."

{†}

"Hey, Gran," the vampire folded her legs neatly before the headstone, having not sat before it in over fifty years. She placed a bouquet of roses before it. "It's me, Sookie. I guess I don't look any different than the last time I was here, but it's been a long time. Hey! I actually remembered your flowers this time! Isn't that a miracle? I'm sorry I pulled a Jimmy Hoffa on you, but I had to give Jason some space."

Sookie sat like that a few minutes, talking candidly with her grandmother's grave before rising and looking back at her Bonded bemusedly, "Sorry, it's still so easy to talk to her."

Eric smiled at her, "It is fine, Sookie. Do you want me to wait here with the girls while you see your brother?" he asked.

Nibbling her lip thoughtfully, Sookie asked, "Can you hang here unless you feel me pulling for you? I want some privacy, but depending on how this all goes…."

"I understand," Eric nodded. "I will wait here for now."

"Thanks."

Eric watched her trek up the hill, and patted Junes' and Mags' heads reassuringly before looking back at Adele Stackhouse's headstone. He wondered if Sookie had even noticed the small marker next to it.

~ _Sookie Stackhouse_

 _May 24th, 1983-∞_

 _Beloved Daughter, Granddaughter and Sister Forever_ ~

Sookie tentatively reached out and knocked upon the door of her childhood home. There was an abrupt quiet within the house, and Sookie found herself holding her breath. Before she could lose her nerve and run back into the darkness, the door opened, and a big pair of old blue eyes were gazing at her.

"Oh my goodness! You look just like your picture!" a woman in her late seventies beamed. "Please, come in! I'm Katy Stackhouse, your sister-in-law!" she told Sookie excitedly.

Sookie found herself in a whirlwind of blue eyes and blond hair as several young adults and middle aged people flocked her.

"This is your niece Adele and her husband Mark, your nephew Corbett and his wife Tammy, your other niece Michelle and her husband Taylor. This is your great niece-"

Finding herself flooded with names and faces, Sookie found the whole thing moderately overwhelming. After discovering the Stackhouse family tree was alive and thriving, Sookie balked as she was confronted with a face very reminiscent of her own.

"And this is Sookie, Corbett's oldest. He named her after you," Katy beamed happily. "I guess you could say Jason was very intent on using family names."

Nodding numbly, Sookie asked in a tentative voice, "Where is my brother?"

"Just down the hall in the master bedroom," Katy told him. "Would you like me to take you to him?" she asked kindly.

"I-I remember the way," Sookie choked, taking a hesitant step in the right direction.

When she arrived at her Gran's door, no, her brother's door, Sookie slowly opened it and looked at the old man laid out beneath layer of blankets. Weak and frail.

"H-hi, Jason," Sookie whispered.

Dull blue eyes lulled in her direction before widening. _'Sookie!'_

"Yeah, it's me. Your Granddaughter found some friends of mine and asked them to send for me." Sookie came and sat beside his bed, feeling distantly and darkly familiar with the scenario. Her last times with Gran had been very much like this. "How are you feeling?"

 _'Oh, you know, trapped in my own head.'_ His lips quirked in an effort to smile sardonically. _'It's good to be heard again after the last couple months.'_ His thoughts felt radically different than she remembered; many words missing, but replaced by pictures. Sookie knew it was a result of his stroke.

"You were always a big talker. This must be rough."

 _'Yeah, but it won't be for much longer. I can feel it, y'know? Dying's really nasty, huh?'_

"It really is," Sookie agreed, remembering her own abrupt demise.

 _'Probably even shittier when your own brother says he wishes you were dead,'_ he thought guiltily.

"Hey, now," Sookie felt a tear leaking from her eye and tried to catch it before it could scar her face, "you were hurting! We both were."

 _'It's not an excuse, Sooks.'_ Jason's head wobbled awkwardly as if he were trying to shake his head. _'I'm sorry I couldn't tell them to keep you from coming. I didn't want you to see me like this. You didn't deserve to have to see another family member like this.'_

"Oh, Jason, if I'd known you were like this, I woulda come myself!" she told him earnestly.

 _'I know that. You never could abandon anybody. Not really. Only reason you came as close as you did with me was cause how I treated ya.'_

"No, no, that wasn't it," Sookie insisted. "I left you like that because… Because I didn't want to be your freak of a sister anymore. I didn't want to make you choose me. I-I thought that if I left you alone, really left you alone, you could finally be normal. No more vampire disappointments, no more freaky weirdo sister to explain-"

 _'Sookie, you shouldn't've had to do that.'_ Jason's eyes began to leak with his own tears. _'I was the freak. I was the disappointment. I pushed and pushed. That's why I never wrote you. You deserved to have the last word. There wasn't nothin' I could say that could take back what I done.'_ His head wobbled again sadly. _'The last night you and I saw each other, you were right. You_ _ **did**_ _deserve so much better than me.'_

"You heard that?" Sookie whispered.

 _'Course I heard ya. I just figured, you were making a family like you said in your letter, and I knew you couldn't be happy trying to make me happy. I knew that if I kept you around, I'd never be the brother you deserved, so I just let you go.'_

"I'd have come running back if you'd asked."

 _'That's no way to live,'_ Jason told her. _'Listen, since I got you here… Those people out there really want to know you. I never told them about your gift or nothin', so don't worry. I just want you to know, I was never the family you deserved, but they are. Of all my fuck ups and all my stupid bullshit, I did manage to do something right. Katy was amazing to me… For me. She helped me raise kids that Gran would have been proud of. My kids raised kids that Gran would be proud of too. They're all loving, sweet people, and they're_ _ **your**_ _people, Sooks. Love them like you wanted to love me, and I_ _ **promise**_ _you, they will love you right the way I was too stupid to.'_

"Jason," Sookie sobbed, "I don't… I can't… What are you asking me?"

 _'I'm asking you to be happy, baby sis. You don't gotta stand over their shoulders or nothin'. They're Stackhouses. They take care of themselves just fine. Still, I just wanted you to know that they're ready and willing to have you.'_

"Thank you, Jason," Sookie smiled down at him, "but I'm going to say goodbye to all of you tonight. I will always come running when they really need me, but I can't be too entwined with their lives. They may accept me, they might even have loved me if I gave them the chance, but this world is full of meetings and partings… I bowed off your stage fifty-some years ago, and I just now decided to make my encore. But the show has to end. Do you really want me to be back here in another fifty years, holding another family members' hand while they die? No," she shook her head sadly, "you are the true end of my human life. It's time I finally have my happily never ending."

Another quirk of his lips signaled that Jason wanted to smile, _'Cool, Sooks, but before you go and say your final goodbyes, I just want you to know that your brother loves you, always has, and always will. I might be dead soon, but my love is never ending too.'_

"I love you, Jason. Goodbye."

 _'Goodbye, Sis. And, hey! Take those photos on my table. You're the only one they'll mean anything to soon.'_

Glancing at the two frames on the end table, Sookie picked them up, recognizing the pictures she had sent with the deed to the farmhouse. Taking them from the frame, Sookie placed them carefully in her purse, leaned over, and kissed her brother's damp cheek.

With that, Sookie turned out of the room and down the hallway once more. Again she was bombarded by relatives, but she gently hushed them, "It was really a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm glad to see my brother was able to keep the Stackhouse name going on strong, but I have to go."

"But we have so much to talk about!" Adele protested.

Sookie shook her head, "No, we don't. This was for Jason, not any of you. He and I are finally at peace, and that's all that I can give to this family. He can pass peacefully now. I wish you all the best, but I am not your blood. I'm vampire, and that is where my blood truly is tied."

 _I can't believe she's so selfish!_

 _What about what we want!?_

 _I would have liked to know you…_

 _Well, that sucks… I wanted a vampire family member._

"Goodbye. Be well," Sookie turned from the group and blocked their thoughts until she was safely down the hill and at the cusp of the graveyard.

"Are you alright, Sookie?" Eric asked as she immediately nestled into his side.

"Yeah," she took in a shuddering breath, "I just had to make sure no one came looking for me again on a whim. Jason was the final cut I needed to make and finally move on. I can't have a relationship with any of them. I can't love them and watch them die. It would break my heart."

"I know, Dear One." Eric kissed the top of her head. "You were remarkably composed the entire time," he commented.

Sookie shrugged minutely. "I wondered how long it would take me to not hurt thinking of my family. I guess fifty years was about right…"

Eric gazed down at the top of her blonde head and sighed, "You still ache."

"Yes," she agreed.

Herding the dogs into the rental car, Eric and Sookie made their way back to Shreveport and the airfield. It would be nice to return to Chicago and forget their abrupt visit to Bon Temps, returning to their lives once again.

"You want to get back pretty bad, huh?" Sookie murmured as she watched the speedometer breeching 80 MPH with now signs of stopping there.

"I do," Eric answered sharply.

"Are you angry?" Sookie asked.

"You can feel me," he pointed out.

"You are angry. I just wish I knew what about," Sookie explained.

Eric took a hand from the steering wheel to run through his hair with agitation. "Your brother has never been a favorite of mine," he finally admitted.

"I know," Sookie whispered with a nod. "He made his peace, though, and I have to admit I feel better getting to say a real goodbye to him."

"And this guilt?" Eric tested.

Another half-hearted shrug lifted the younger vampire's shoulders. "I feel bad leaving his family like that."

"Because you want to be near them, or you feel obligated to be near them?" Eric asked.

"Obligated," Sookie confessed.

Eric remained silent as they drove into Shreveport, and the electro-rail immediately forced his car to slow to the allotted speed limit. Soon they were pulling up to the airport and Eric removed the dogs and their crates from the back of the SUV. When the girls were stowed away and being placed on a long bed trolley, Sookie patted the tops as she walked alongside them.

When Eric left her to go to the Anubis airline for return tickets for Chicago, Sookie crouched down and gazed at her dogs. "Well, Girls, this is it. You're all I got left from my human years," she murmured to them.

Mags let out a sympathetic whimper as Junes grumbled and laid down on her belly. Sookie smiled at them amusedly until Eric was back at her side.

"Our flight leaves in two hours," he announced, handing her the ticket. "Shall we stow the girls?"

Sookie nodded and took his hand. Anubis was surprisingly accommodating about traveling with pets. Of course, Sookie noted bemusedly, she was certain Eric could have always glamoured an unsuspecting agent into allowing the dogs to fly without all the appropriate documents.

"You were very quiet the entire flight," Eric murmured as he pushed the trolley of dogs into the parking area of O'Hare airport back in Chicago.

"I had a lot to think about," Sookie told him, wrapping her arm around his and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yes," he agreed with a scowl.

"About work, Darlin', not Jason." Sookie nudged him playfully. "The trip was so abrupt!"

Thankfully, not too much time would be lost; not as much as a vampire her age would lose, at least. Since her consumption of honey allowed her the ability to resist the sun, Ludwig had compiled several UV tests before the final experiment of solar exposure. Though her flesh did not smolder, it did cause a severe onset of the bleeds. Sookie became incredibly weakened by direct exposure to the sun, but the couple was jubilant to find that they could wander indoors without needing more than to draw the blinds. A few automated motors later, and the Bonded pair had the entire home to use at their leisure during the daytime hours. They did find that Eric was required to drink his Mate's blood from time to time to maintain the same immunity.

"Emily will understand." Eric kissed the top of her head before untangling his arm from hers and going about letting the dogs out of the crates to jump into the rear of the car. Quickly he folded the carriers and slid them into the back of the vehicle. "Are you making any progress?"

Sookie shrugged, "The Chicago P.D. is being rather tight lipped, but you know that's never been a problem for me." She gave him an amused wink as he came and opened her door for her.

"The case is still relatively new," Eric pointed out. "The police probably want to solve it without your help this time."

"Oh, they solve plenty of crimes without me," Sookie waved her hand dismissively. "Of course, they always wait so long to call me in for my consulting that it gives way too much time for the trails to go cold," She scowled at a particularly foul memory.

Earlier that year a child had gone missing. After three weeks, the Chicago P.D. had finally asked her for assistance. Sookie had found the child's body in a neighbor's basement the same day she was brought in on the case. He had been dead for twelve hours at that point, and the telepath had been enraged that if they had called her in sooner, the boy could have been recovered alive.

"Calm, Dear One," Eric took her hand and kissed it soothingly before firing the vehicle to life and programming their destination into the self-navigation system. Sookie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What?" He laughed.

"You're not going to drive manually?" Sookie asked, flabbergasted. Eric hated auto-drive. He had despised the technology since its inception and even considered buying out companies that worked on the tech just to shut them down.

"It is boring with the electro-rails," Eric grumbled petulantly. "They override the car's computer system and prevent breaking the speed limit."

"Oh, my poor darlin'! Sookie laughed, leaned over his seat, grasped his face and kissed him out of consolation. "How about we go to the Hoosier side tomorrow night? If we skip down South a way, there's plenty of country roads not set up for the electro-rails yet."

Eric sighed happily. "That would be marvelous, Sookie."

Eased by his contentment, Sookie leaned her head on his shoulder as the city zoomed by their windows.

"You gotta admit," she began conversationally, "you don't really need to speed when traffic isn't piling up because of accidents."

"True," Eric shrugged noncommittally. After a short silence, the older vampire asked quietly, "Are you happy, Sookie?"

"What do you mean?" She frowned at the question, uncomprehending.

"With this existence. Consulting for police departments. Assisting Emily with her missing persons time to time… Are you happy?"

Smiling, she stated coyly, "You can feel me."

"Yes," Eric sighed. "You are happy."

"I finally found the balance, Eric," Sookie told him. "I get to help people and utilize my gift. I get to have my girls. Most importantly, I have you. The real creator of the balance I needed. My real Happily Never Ending."

 **Fin**

 **A/N: Please remember to review for the final time of Never End!**

 **New story will hopefully be coming out this June. Please do not hold me to that, but I will do my best. I promise! Thanks again, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


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